Previously had special teams responsibilities at Arkansas & Colorado
TAMPA, Dec. 23, 2019 – Head coach Jeff Scott announced Monday he has named Daniel Da Prato as special teams coordinator on the USF football staff.
Da Prato comes to USF after a season at Arkansas in which he served in a quality control position for special teams under head coach Chad Morris and was later promoted to special teams coordinator under interim head coach Barry Lunney Jr.
“I am excited to add Daniel to our staff as special teams coordinator,” Scott said. “He brings 15 years of coaching experience to Tampa and has spent most of his career working with special teams and producing some outstanding specialists at several stops both at the FBS and FCS level.”
Prior to his time at Arkansas, Da Prato spent three seasons at Colorado (2016-18) as director of quality control/offense and also served as a replacement coach on the recruiting trail in December and January of 2017 and again in January 2018. For the Buffaloes, he assisted the offensive coaching staff in its planning and implementation of the weekly practice and game plans. He was also heavily involved in game planning for the special teams units, with a specific area of concentration on punt block and kickoff return.
Colorado produced three different All-Pac-12 receivers in Da Prato’s tenure at Colorado and on special teams the Buffs blocked their first punt in eight seasons in 2017. In 2016, Isaiah Oliver’s 68-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first at CU in 11 years.
Da Prato spent three seasons at Montana State (2013-15) as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. He coached a pair of All-Americans while in Bozeman. Tight end Beau Sandland was a second-team AP FCS All-American in 2015 and returner Shawn Johnson was a third-team selection of The Sports Network in 2013. Johnson averaged 31.0 yards on 22 kickoff returns, returning two for touchdowns of 100 and 99 yards, respectively. He also averaged 13.9 yards per punt return, with one touchdown, and ranked fourth nationally in kick returns and fifth in punt returns on the year.
Da Prato spent six seasons at Sacramento State (2007-12), where he coached the receivers all six years and added special teams coaching responsibilities the last three seasons (2010-12). He was on the staff of the Hornets when they visited Folsom Field in 2012 and upset the Buffaloes, 30-28, with a game-winning field goal as time ran out.
In 2008, he guided wide receiver Tony Washington to third-team All-America honors by The Sports Network. Washington, who only played two seasons at Sacramento State, was one of just 11 players in school history to catch over 100 passes on their career. He averaged 73.61 receiving yards per game, ranking third in Hornet history and set a new program season record with 83 receptions in 2008 while his 1,279 receiving yards ranked as the second-most ever by a Hornet.
Da Prato began his coaching career at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, his alma mater, where he served as a graduate assistant for the offense for the 2004-05 seasons and was later promoted to the director of operations and recruiting coordinator in 2006.
Da Prato earned his bachelor’s in health & human performance from UL-Monroe in 2003 and later a master’s in education, with an emphasis in instructional technology, in 2004.
He began his college football playing career at New Mexico Highlands University in 2000, where he spent one year as the starting quarterback. He transferred to Chabot (Calif.) Junior College where he started at quarterback for the 2001 season and earned honorable mention All-Conference honors. Da Prato then concluded his career at UL-Monroe, where he earned two letters playing quarterback. He was an Academic All-Conference team selection at ULM. As a junior in 2002, ULM opened at Mississippi, where Da Prato started at quarterback and played against a secondary coached by Mike MacIntyre.
Da Prato was born Oct. 2, 1981 in Sacramento, Calif., and graduated from Fred C. Beyer High School in Modesto, Calif., where he lettered in football, basketball and track and was an All-District and All-League performer at quarterback on the gridiron.
He is married to the former Giovanna Arrondo.
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2020 USF FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF (updated as announced)
Jeff Scott Head Coach
Glenn Spencer Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
Daniel Da Prato Special Teams Coordinator
Xavier Dye Wide Receivers Coach
Joey King Tight Ends Coach
Trumain Carroll Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
About USF Football
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and is in its 23rd season (20th at the FBS level) in 2019. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 14 All-America selections and 29 first-team all-conference selections and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft.USF has made 10 bowl games appearances (going 6-4 in those games) and posted a program record six straight appearances from 2005-2010. The Bulls most recently made four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18 and posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
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