Coach Sam Camp was elevated to the Head Football Coach position in the winter of 2025, following the departure of first year head coach Julian Mendez.
In his first year at the helm, Coach Camp led the Owls to their first ever win over an NAIA opponent and first win over a Heart of America Athletic Conference opponent with a 36-35 win over Missouri Valley College. William Woods averaged 13 points per game in the 2025 season, competing in near every contest with one of the youngest rosters in the nation. The Owls narrowly lost matches to Culver-Stockton and MidAmerica Nazarene, showing progress in an evolving roster.
Camp, who was in charge of The Woods' offense for Year 1, coached the Owls' top All-Heart of America Athletic Conference South Division honoree, second-team wide receiver Troy Oliver. In 2024, Oliver was second in the Heart South in receiving yards per game (82) and third in touchdown receptions (nine); the players ahead of Oliver in those stats were on teams that qualified for the 20-team NAIA Football National Championship.
Under Camp's guidance, William Woods' offense totaled 2,360 yards, including 2,143 passing. Owls quarterback Gabe Serri and wide receivers Oliver and Jalen Becerra proved immense pieces to WWU's offense in 2024. In 10 games, Serri completed 155-of-335 passes for 1,812 yards, 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, good enough for a 99.7 pass efficiency. Serri's top targets, Oliver, recorded 72 receptions for 902 yards (82 receiving yards per game) and nine touchdowns, and Becerra caught 37 passes for 691 yards (18.7 receiving yards per catch) and four touchdowns.
Before joining Wiliam Woods as an offensive coordinator in the spring of 2024, Camp had two stints with NCAA Division II Western New Mexico University in Silver City, New Mexico, where he was offensive coordinator under head coach Billy Hickman. Under his direction, the Mustangs averaged 258.4 yards of passing per game, leading the Lone Star Conference. He also served under previous head coach Philip Vigil as the wide receivers and tight ends coach, pass game coordinator, recruiting coordinator and video coordinator, helping in the development of 2021 Lone Star Conference leaders Josh Powell (61 receptions) and Devin Larsen (266.1 passing yards per game and 244 completions).
Between his tenures with Western New Mexico, Camp served as a defensive quality control coach for NCAA Division I FBS Army football in West Point, New York. Working alongside defensive coordinator Nate Woody, Camp developed defensive game plans based on opponents' projected offensive schemes. The Black Knights finished the 2022 season ranked 44th in total defense among 130 FBS teams and 33rd in scoring defense, allowing just 22.5 points per game.
During the 2018 and '19 seasons, Camp was the wide receivers and tight ends coach at NAIA Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas, and the video coordinator for the program. Kansas Wesleyan ranked third in total offense in the NAIA in 2018 and improved to second overall in '19. The Coyotes qualified for the NAIA Football Championship Series in both seasons of Camp's tenure.
The Winfield, Kansas, native earned a bachelor's degree in health management from Friends University in Wichita, Kan., in 2018, where he was a four-year letter-winner for the NAIA Falcons, twice earning All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference accolades as a wide receiver. He finished his career with 1,242 receiving yards and 100 career receptions for Friends, recording six touchdowns.
