Josh Lamberson
Head Coach | 4th Season | 24-12 Record (.667)
2023 AFCA Super Region III Coach of the Year
2023 MIAA Coach of the Year
Former University of Central Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Lamberson was named the 30th head football coach of the Mules football program in February 2022 and is in his fourth season as head coach in 2025.
Last season, he guided Central Missouri to an overall record of 9-3 and a 6-3 mark in the MIAA. UCM earned a spot in the Heritage Bowl powered by Riot, defeating the University of Texas-Permian Basin, 39-37 in double overtime on Dec. 7 in Corsicana, Texas. The Heritage Bowl appearance marked the Mules' second straight postseason showing. Combined with UCM's 11-2 mark in 2023, Central Missouri won 20 games in back-to-back seasons for just the second time in program history.
UCM quarterback Zach Zebrowski won his second consecutive Harlon Hill Award as the Division II National Player of the Year, becoming just the fifth player in the award's history to win the trophy multiple times. He was the first-ever MIAA football player to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
In addition, Zebrowski was named the D2CCA Ron Lenz Offensive Player of the Year, MIAA Offensive Player of the Year, Walter Camp Football Foundation Division II Player of the Year, D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Year, Don Hansen Division II Offensive Player of the Year and D2CCA Super Region 3 Offensive Player of the Year. Zebrowski earned consensus First Team All-America accolades for the second straight year.
Along with Zebrowski, offensive lineman Gabe Clark and wide receiver Zach Patterson also earned All-America and All-Super Region 3 honors.
Twelve Mules were voted to the All-MIAA Football Teams.
UCM also excelled in the classroom as seven Mules earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District accolades (Gabe Clark, Cale Miller, Liam Wortmann, Ethan Brown, Reed Kaburick, Brett Grupe and Drew Kaufman). Clark (First Team) and Miller (Second Team) were both voted to the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-America Teams for the second consecutive season.
In just his second season as head coach in 2023, he led the Mules to an 11-2 overall record and a 9-1 mark in the MIAA, capturing the program's 14th MIAA Championship. UCM advanced to the second round of the NCAA-II Playoffs before falling to eventual 2023 NCAA-II National Champion Harding, 35-34, in Searcy, Ark. The 11 wins tied a school record. Lamberson was named the AFCA Super Region III and MIAA Coach of the Year.
UCM quarterback Zach Zebrowski become the second Mule to win the prestigious Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in all of NCAA Division II football. In addition, Zebrowski was named a consensus First Team All-American, receiving All-American accolades from the AFCA, D2CCA and Associated Press. He was named the D2CCA Ron Lenz Division II Offensive Player of the Year, D2CCA Super Region III Player of the Year, MIAA Offensive Player of the Year and NCAA.com Division II Offensive Player of the Year.
Zebrowski set new NCAA Division II records for passing touchdowns (61), total offensive yards (5,690), points responsible for (380) and TDs responsible for (63 - 61 pass, two rush) in UCM's 13 games in 2023. He also established new UCM and MIAA records for passing touchdowns (8), passing yards (615 yards) and total offense (673 yards) in a single-game in the Mules' 77-27 win over then No. 23-ranked Emporia State Oct. 21.
During the 2023 season, Zebrowski led all of NCAA Division II in total offense (437.7 yards per game), passing yards (5,157 yards), passing touchdowns (61), points responsible for (380), points responsible for per game (29.2 points per game) and passing yards per game (396.7 yards per game). He was second in completions per game (32 per game) and passing efficiency (173.0).
In addition to Zebrowski, wide receiver Arkell Smith, offensive lineman Gabe Clark and defensive back Wyryor Noil all received First Team All-America honors. UCM had an impressive 16 student-athletes named All-MIAA.
Lamberson and his staff led UCM to numerous team season records in 2023, including most total plays (1,042), most yards gained (7,721), most touchdowns (89), most points (642), most passing yards (5,433), most yards passing per game (417.9), most TD passes (62), most first downs (398).
Central Missouri led all of NCAA Division II in total offense (598.3 yards per game), scoring offense (49.4 points per game), passing offense (417.9 yards per game) and first downs (398).
The Mules also had several outstanding performances in the classroom, as Curtis Appleton II, Ethan Brown, Gabe Clark, Luke Dobson, Reed Kaburick and Cale Miller were all named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
In his inaugural season at Central Missouri, the Mules posted an overall record of 4-7 but were 4-1 at home at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. UCM earned victories over Northeastern State, Missouri Southern, Lincoln and Missouri Western.
UCM was ranked in the top three in the MIAA in passing offense, compiling 2,712 yards through the air and an average of 246.5 passing yards per game.
Mules football had 13 student-athletes named All-MIAA in Lamberson's first season on the sidelines, including first team honoree David Olajiga, who was also named a Don Hansen’s Honorable Mention All-American as a defensive lineman.
UCM’s Gabe Clark, Cale Miller, Trevor Twehous, Dallas Waller, Liam Wortmann and Jai Haynes earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® accolades for their performances in the classroom and on the field while 35 Mules garnered MIAA Academic Honor Roll accolades.
Waller earned the prestigious MIAA Academic Excellence Award after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA while Ethan Brown and Clark secured spots on the MIAA Scholar-Athlete list after tallying at least a 3.50 GPA and earning All-MIAA accolades.
Lamberson, who served as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for the Mules from 2010-14 under former UCM head coach Jim Svoboda, returned to Warrensburg after serving as the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach for Division I Abilene Christian University from 2017-21.
As the offensive coordinator for the Mules, he assisted UCM to 70 offensive school records and 24 MIAA offensive records and was a part of the top-five offenses in program history.
He helped Central Missouri to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in school history in 2010 and 2011 and coached 2010 Harlan Hill trophy winner (top player in NCAA Division II) and first team All-American quarterback Eric Czerniewski.
Lamberson coached seven All-Americans in his tenure as offensive coordinator at Central Missouri, including Czerniewski, wide receiver Jamorris Warren, running back Anthony Stewart, tight end Demarco Cosby, wide receiver Jamar Howard, tight end David Cannon and offensive lineman Logan Freeman.
During his time at Abilene Christian, he helped the Wildcats to their most wins in a three-year span since becoming an NCAA Division I FCS program and coached 11 all-conference selections.
Abilene Christian also compiled a 3.25 team grade-point average in 2019 and tallied the most improved NCAA A.P.R. in the Southland Conference.
Before Abilene Christian, Lamberson served as the head coach at MIAA member Nebraska Kearney from 2015-17. While with the Lopers, he coached 20 All-MIAA selections, including 2015 and 2016 Harlan Hill Finalist and first team All-American Tyke Kozeal.
A combined 56 Nebraska Kearney student-athletes received Academic All-Conference accolades while Lamberson was the head coach.
Lamberson served as the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Okla., from 2008 to 2010 and was a graduate assistant quarterbacks coach for Northwest Missouri State from 2006-08.
In his nine years as an assistant coach, Lamberson helped teams to a combined 80-30 record, including a 39-19 tally with the Mules, 13-9 at Southeastern Oklahoma State and 28-2 at Northwest Missouri State.
As a graduate assistant for the Bearcats, he was a member of the 2006 and 2007 MIAA conference champions and NCAA Division II National Runners Up teams. Both the 2006 and 2007 teams went undefeated in MIAA conference play. He compiled a record of 28-3 as the quarterbacks coach and coached All-MIAA selections Josh Matthews and Joel Osborne.
Lamberson was an All-American quarterback for the Bearcats and helped Northwest Missouri to the 2005 NCAA Division II national championship game. He was named the MVP of the 2005 national title game and posted an overall record of 25-6 as the Bearcats' starting quarterback.
He also excelled in the classroom and was an ESPN academic all-America as a senior with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
A native of Wilber, Neb., Lamberson graduated from Northwest Missouri State with a bachelor's degree in corporate recreation in 2005 and earned his master's degree in education from Northwest Missouri in 2007.
Lamberson and his wife, Mandy, have a daughter, Kiya, and son, Ace.
