Football
- Title:
- Assistant Coach (Defensive Line)
Payam Saadat
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) • Ninth Year
Washington State '94
Recruiting Area: San Fernando Valley; Santa Clarita; Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties
Payam Saadat returned in February 2016 for his third stint as an assistant football coach at Cal Poly.
Since leaving Cal Poly following the 2008 season, Saadat joined former Mustang head coach Rich Ellerson at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (Army) for five seasons as co-defensive coordinator. He served the 2014 and 2015 seasons as Central Washington's defensive coordinator.
A 1994 Washington State graduate, Saadat was in charge of the inside linebackers at Cal Poly in 1996 and 1997, returned to Cal Poly as a linebackers assistant for the 2004 season, was promoted in 2005 to full-time assistant coach and became defensive coordinator in March 2006.
Among the players Saadat coached at Cal Poly during his second stint were three consecutive Buck Buchanan Award winners — linebacker Jordan Beck in 2004, defensive end Chris Gocong in 2005 and linebacker Kyle Shotwell in 2006. In addition, lineman Chris White was a two-time All-American.
The Cal Poly defense in 2004 ranked first nationally in rushing defense, allowing opponents just 84.3 yards rushing per game. The defense was ninth nationally in scoring defense, giving up 16.6 points per game. The 2004 defensive unit set school records with 50 quarterback sacks (first nationally) and 25 interceptions (second nationally).
In 2005 Cal Poly increased its school record for sacks to 62 and was first in the nation in that department as well as No. 14 in rushing defense, 13th in scoring defense and 22nd in total defense.
In 2006, the Mustangs were sixth in total defense (248.27) and were ranked in the top 20 in five other defensive categories –- No. 3 in pass defense, No. 4 in sacks, No. 5 in tackles for lost yardage, No. 10 in scoring defense and No. 19 in rushing defense.
The Mustangs closed the 2008 season ranked second in quarterback sacks (3.36 per game) and tied for 42nd in tackles for loss (6.36). Cal Poly earned three conference titles and twice qualified for the FCS playoffs during Saadat's second coaching stint with the Mustangs.
From 1998-2003, Saadat was an assistant at Western Washington, coaching the defensive line and linebackers and serving as special teams coordinator. He also was recruiting coordinator and an assistant strength and conditioning coach. The Vikings qualified for the 1999 NCAA Division II playoffs and Saadat coached two All-Americans on special teams and was named American Football Monthly special teams coordinator of the year in 2002.
Saadat was hired as a defensive line coach at Saint Mary's in January 2004 before the school dropped football two months later.
Saadat's influence over the Army defense was felt immediately. In his first season at West Point (2009), the Black Knights finished the year ranked 16th in the nation in total defense, 35th in scoring defense and third in pass defense.
In 2010, the Black Knights again stood among the nation's leaders, ranking 29th in total defense and third in the country in turnover margin. Army's 30 takeaways tied for the 12th most in the nation. The Black Knights held four of their 2010 opponents to 21 points or less, including the program's first shutout since 2005, and qualified for the Armed Forces Bowl, the academy's first bowl game in 14 years, defeating SMU 16-14. Saadat coached linebacker Stephen Anderson, the MVP of the Armed Forces Bowl, as well as linebacker Andrew Rodriguez, the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy winner.
In his two seasons at Central Washington, Saadat coached six first-team all-conference players, including one defensive lineman of the year, and one All-American. The Wildcats were 12-9 during Saadat's two campaigns and, in 2014, the Wildcats were ranked in the top 10 in four defensive categories.
Born in Baltimore, Saadat is a 1990 graduate of Saint Monica High School in Santa Monica, and earned his bachelor's degree in biology at Washington State in 1994. During his first coaching job at Cal Poly, he earned his master's degree in kinesiology in 1998 and coached linebacker Osbaldo Orozco, who earned NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) All-America honors, in 1999.
Saadat was a linebacker for the Cougars and played in the 1992 Copper Bowl and the 1994 Alamo Bowl. As a senior, Saadat earned Washington State team awards for courage, inspiration and strength. He was the first Cougar to win all three awards in the same year.
Saadat, 44, coached the Washington State inside linebackers during his redshirt season in 1993 and coached the same position at Santa Monica College in 1995.
Saadat, a certified strength and conditioning coach for 10 years (1998-2008), was a participant in both the 1998 World Disabled Championships in Birmingham, England and the 1999 National Disabled Championships in Fairfax, Virginia. He was invited to represent Team USA in the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia, in the shot put.
Saadat is married to the former Erica Olson and they have one daughter, Rowan, 12, and two sons, Shyan, 10, and Ashkan, 8.
