University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Football
Marquase Lovings
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
A seasoned Division I coach with experience on both sides of the line of scrimmage, Marquase Lovings returns to Lafayette for his second stint with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns as the program’s running backs coach. A Gainesville, Fla., native, Lovings previously spent seven seasons on the Cajuns’ staff, serving as running backs coach from 2011–16 before transitioning to defensive line coach in 2017.
Now in his 18th season coaching at the Division I level, Lovings has participated in 10 bowl games with eight victories and has added two appearances in the FCS Playoffs during his career.
Lovings rejoins Louisiana after four seasons at Sun Belt Conference rival Arkansas State, where he coached the Red Wolves’ running backs from 2022-25. During his tenure in Jonesboro, Arkansas State nearly doubled its rushing production, improving from 88.2 yards per game in 2022 to 156.9 in 2024. The Red Wolves capped the 2024 season with a 38-31 victory over Bowling Green in the 68 Ventures Bowl, finishing with eight wins - tied for the third-highest total in program history at the FBS level.
Individually, Lovings guided Zak Wallace to honorable mention All-Sun Belt honors in 2024 after the junior rushed for 732 yards and 11 touchdowns, the most by an A-State back since 2013. Ja’Quez Cross amassed 1,446 rushing yards over the last three seasons under Lovings’ direction and enters his senior year in 2025 with a chance to become the program’s 10th all-time 2,000-yard rusher. In 2023, the “Natural State Run Game” trio of Cross, Wallace and Cedric Hawkins combined for 1,447 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, while Johnnie Lang Jr. earned All-Sun Belt honors in 2022.
Lovings’ first tenure in Lafayette featured some of the most productive rushing seasons in program history. From 2013-14, he mentored Elijah McGuire and Alonzo Harris, who combined for more than 3,800 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns while each earning All-Sun Belt Conference honors. In 2014, the duo totaled 2,071 yards and 26 touchdowns, with McGuire earning Sun Belt Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year accolades after rushing for a team-high 1,264 yards.
During the 2013 campaign, McGuire and Harris combined for over 1,800 yards and 22 touchdowns, each earning first-team All-Sun Belt recognition. Harris finished third in the league with 942 yards and 14 scores, while McGuire added 863 yards on 8.3 yards per carry, eight touchdowns and Freshman All-America honors. Behind a deep running back room that also included Torrey Pierce and Effrem Reed, Louisiana ranked second in the Sun Belt and 26th nationally in rushing offense at 204.5 yards per game.
Lovings also played a key role in Harris’ emergence as a freshman in 2011, when he rushed for 700 yards and eight touchdowns to earn Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors. The following season, the addition of Reed and Pierce helped Louisiana improve its rushing output from 125.2 to 193.5 yards per game, ranking 34th nationally.
Defensively, Lovings has made his mark at the FCS level with stops at Nicholls and Austin Peay. He served as defensive line coach at Nicholls in 2018, helping the Colonels begin a run of back-to-back Southland Conference championships. After two seasons at Austin Peay - including a stint as associate head coach and interim head coach during the fall of 2020 - Lovings returned to Nicholls in 2021, guiding a defensive front that helped the Colonels rank second in the Southland Conference in total defense while posting the program’s first straight winning season.
At Austin Peay, Lovings was part of a defensive staff that produced one of the best seasons in school history in 2019, ranking among the FCS top 15 in rushing defense (No. 8), total defense (No. 12) and scoring defense (No. 15).
Prior to his initial arrival in Lafayette, Lovings spent four seasons at Mississippi State from 2007-10, serving as a defensive quality control coach before moving into a defensive graduate assistant role. During his time in Starkville, he worked on a Bulldog staff that included former Louisiana head coach Mark Hudspeth and coached standout defensive linemen such as Titus Brown and Fletcher Cox, the latter becoming the 12th overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
A former walk-on tight end at Howard University, Lovings began his coaching career at the high school level with stops at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., and his alma mater, P.K. Yonge High School in Gainesville. He earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Howard in 2006 and a master’s degree in sports administration from Mississippi State in 2008, where he also pursued doctoral coursework in education.
Lovings and his wife Krystal are the parents of two children, EJ and Khloe.
Now in his 18th season coaching at the Division I level, Lovings has participated in 10 bowl games with eight victories and has added two appearances in the FCS Playoffs during his career.
Lovings rejoins Louisiana after four seasons at Sun Belt Conference rival Arkansas State, where he coached the Red Wolves’ running backs from 2022-25. During his tenure in Jonesboro, Arkansas State nearly doubled its rushing production, improving from 88.2 yards per game in 2022 to 156.9 in 2024. The Red Wolves capped the 2024 season with a 38-31 victory over Bowling Green in the 68 Ventures Bowl, finishing with eight wins - tied for the third-highest total in program history at the FBS level.
Individually, Lovings guided Zak Wallace to honorable mention All-Sun Belt honors in 2024 after the junior rushed for 732 yards and 11 touchdowns, the most by an A-State back since 2013. Ja’Quez Cross amassed 1,446 rushing yards over the last three seasons under Lovings’ direction and enters his senior year in 2025 with a chance to become the program’s 10th all-time 2,000-yard rusher. In 2023, the “Natural State Run Game” trio of Cross, Wallace and Cedric Hawkins combined for 1,447 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, while Johnnie Lang Jr. earned All-Sun Belt honors in 2022.
Lovings’ first tenure in Lafayette featured some of the most productive rushing seasons in program history. From 2013-14, he mentored Elijah McGuire and Alonzo Harris, who combined for more than 3,800 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns while each earning All-Sun Belt Conference honors. In 2014, the duo totaled 2,071 yards and 26 touchdowns, with McGuire earning Sun Belt Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year accolades after rushing for a team-high 1,264 yards.
During the 2013 campaign, McGuire and Harris combined for over 1,800 yards and 22 touchdowns, each earning first-team All-Sun Belt recognition. Harris finished third in the league with 942 yards and 14 scores, while McGuire added 863 yards on 8.3 yards per carry, eight touchdowns and Freshman All-America honors. Behind a deep running back room that also included Torrey Pierce and Effrem Reed, Louisiana ranked second in the Sun Belt and 26th nationally in rushing offense at 204.5 yards per game.
Lovings also played a key role in Harris’ emergence as a freshman in 2011, when he rushed for 700 yards and eight touchdowns to earn Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors. The following season, the addition of Reed and Pierce helped Louisiana improve its rushing output from 125.2 to 193.5 yards per game, ranking 34th nationally.
Defensively, Lovings has made his mark at the FCS level with stops at Nicholls and Austin Peay. He served as defensive line coach at Nicholls in 2018, helping the Colonels begin a run of back-to-back Southland Conference championships. After two seasons at Austin Peay - including a stint as associate head coach and interim head coach during the fall of 2020 - Lovings returned to Nicholls in 2021, guiding a defensive front that helped the Colonels rank second in the Southland Conference in total defense while posting the program’s first straight winning season.
At Austin Peay, Lovings was part of a defensive staff that produced one of the best seasons in school history in 2019, ranking among the FCS top 15 in rushing defense (No. 8), total defense (No. 12) and scoring defense (No. 15).
Prior to his initial arrival in Lafayette, Lovings spent four seasons at Mississippi State from 2007-10, serving as a defensive quality control coach before moving into a defensive graduate assistant role. During his time in Starkville, he worked on a Bulldog staff that included former Louisiana head coach Mark Hudspeth and coached standout defensive linemen such as Titus Brown and Fletcher Cox, the latter becoming the 12th overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
A former walk-on tight end at Howard University, Lovings began his coaching career at the high school level with stops at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., and his alma mater, P.K. Yonge High School in Gainesville. He earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Howard in 2006 and a master’s degree in sports administration from Mississippi State in 2008, where he also pursued doctoral coursework in education.
Lovings and his wife Krystal are the parents of two children, EJ and Khloe.
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