WARRENSBURG, Mo. – University of Central Missouri Mules Football Head Coach Josh Lamberson announced three new additions to the Mules Football Coaching Staff on Monday, Jan. 26.

Brandon Clayton will serve as the new Defensive Backs coach, while former Mules Football student-athletes Jalen Lee (Assistant Offensive Line) and Garrett Hormann (Assistant Defensive Line) have joined the Mules coaching staff.
Clayton joins the Mules after serving as the Defensive Coordinator at Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Mich., for the last two seasons.

"We are excited to welcome Brandon and his wife, Brandi, into the UCM Football family. Brandon brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Mules. He worked alongside Coach [Rich] Wright for several years and has experience coaching both the defense and special teams," Lamberson said. "He is passionate about teaching young men the game of football and life."

While at SVSU, he helped the Cardinals to a combined 13 wins in two seasons. In his two seasons at Saginaw Valley State, he coached 15 All-GLIAC defensive honorees, including eight in 2024 and seven in 2025.

Before his time in University Center, Mich., Clayton was the Defensive Backs Coach, Special Teams Coordinator, and Recruiting Coordinator at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., under current Mules Defensive Coordinator and former Bearcat head coach Rich Wright for nine seasons.

While at Northwest Missouri, Clayton helped NWMSU post an 89-17 record, including back-to-back National Championships in 2015 and 2016. Additionally, he served as the Bearcats' academic coordinator, social media coordinator, and team administrator and compliance liaison.

In addition to coaching at Northwest Missouri State, Clayton was a four-year starter for the Bearcats from 2005-2008. He earned All-MIAA honors three times and was an All-Region selection in 2008. Clayton helped Northwest Missouri State to four national championship game appearances and tallied 118 tackles, 22 pass breakups, and four interceptions in his tenure.

"I had the pleasure of being teammates with Brandon in our early years of college football, and there was not a more diligent, hard-working, determined person than Brandon Clayton," Lamberson added. "He is an outstanding addition to the Mules staff. I am looking forward to continuing to build on our foundation with him leading our back-end defense. Brandon was the one candidate that we really targeted throughout the entire process. We are so thrilled that he is a Mule!"

Lee joins the UCM coaching staff after playing and starting all 11 games on the offensive line for the Mules in 2025. Lee helped the Central Missouri offense lead the MIAA in total offense (464.3 yards per game), passing offense (321.5 yards per game), and scoring (32.3 points per game) last season. 

"Jalen brings a wealth of experience both and off the field to the Mules. He transferred to UCM from a terrific program in South Dakota State where he won two national championships. He is a fantastic recruiter and knows offensive line play inside and out. He will be an extra set of eyes and ears working along Coach [Joe] Holtzclaw to build the offensive line attack in 2026," Lamberson said.

Hormann joins the Central Missouri coaching staff after three standout seasons as a linebacker for the Mules. An All-MIAA selection last season, Hormann led UCM with 74 tackles, including 41 assisted and 33 solo tackles. He also compiled four tackles-for-loss for nine yards and two quarterback sacks, and had three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

In his career as a Mule, Hormann had 145 tackles (82 assisted and 63 solo) to go along with 7.5 tackles-for-loss for 18 yards, three quarterback sacks for nine yards, two interceptions, five pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

"Garrett is a natural leader and outstanding person," Lamberson said. "He transitioned right into our coaching staff with zero learning curve and is already displaying outstanding characteristics of a young coach. He is resourceful, knowledgeable, and has a growth mindset. He will be a fantastic asset to our team moving forward. His experience in our defensive structure and relationships with our players is invaluable. He is a great addition to our program."