Coach Cade Harelson enters his fourth year on the Hornet coaching staff as linebackers coach and special team coach. Coach Harelson also serves as recruiting coordinator.
The 2025 season was big for both Harelson’s linebackers and his special teams. Harelson coached Landon Boss to arguably the best season by a defensive player in Hornet football history as Boss earned almost every honor possible for a defensive player:
· MIAA Football Defensive Player of the Week three times
· All-MIAA First-Team
· MIAA Defensive Player of the Year
· D2CCA Super Region 4 Defensive Player of the Year
· American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) First-Team All-American
· Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) First-Team All-American
· Associated Press First-Team All-American
· Don Hansen First-Team All-American
· Walter Camp First-Team All-American
· D2Football.com Second-Team All-American
· College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District
· College Sports Communicators (CSC) First-Team Academic All-American
· Finalist for the MIAA’s Ken B. Jones Award
· Finalist for Cliff Harris Award
Harelson’s special teams led the nation with six blocked punts and Harelson coached Dylan Davidson to All-MIAA First-Team honors on the strength of an MIAA leading 43.6 yards per punt which was also good for fifth place in all of NCAA Division II.
Harelson also saw outside linebacker Gabe Booker earn All-MIAA honorable mention
and kicker Caden Dodson earn All-MIAA honorable mention and CSC Academic All-District honors.
In 2024, Harelson coached Caleb Mondi to All-MIAA Second-Team honors and Lavon Jones to All-MIAA honorable mention.
In his first season on the Hornet coaching staff, Harelson coached Chance Rodriguez to All-MIAA Third Team honors in 2023.
As a student athlete, Harelson was a four-year letterman at linebacker for the Hornets from 2017 to 2022. In 43 games, Harelson recorded 214 total tackles. Harelson earned All-MIAA honorable mention honors in 2021 and was selected MVP of the Hornets 48-27 win over Southeastern Oklahoma in the 2022 Live United Bowl.
Harelson graduated from Emporia State in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance and a minor in coaching. Harelson earned a master’s degree from Emporia State in health, physical education and coaching in 2023.
Harelson and his wife Tori are the parents of a daughter, Lucy.
