Daniel Da Prato took over the special teams responsibilities on Nov. 10 when interim head coach Barry Lunney Jr. moved Da Prato to an on-field position after he joined the Razorbacks as a Quality Control for Special Teams.
Prior to Arkansas, he spent three seasons at Colorado as the Director of Quality Control/Offense. 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 team units, with his 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 its first punt in eight seasons in 2017 and in 2016 Isaiah Oliver’s 68-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first at CU in 11 years.
Da Prato also filled in as a replacement coach on the recruiting trail in December and January 2017 and in January 2018. His recruiting areas centered in Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Northern California, Southern California, Seattle and the Kansas junior colleges.
He came to Colorado from Montana State, where he spent three seasons (2013-15) as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. He coached a pair of All-Americans while in Bozeman; TE Beau Sandland was a second-team AP FCS All-American in 2015 and Shawn Johnson was a third-team selection of The Sports Network in 2013. Johnson that year averaged 31.0 yards on 22 kickoff returns, returning one 100 yards and another 99 yards, both for touchdowns. He also averaged 13.9 yards per punt return, with one TD, finishing fourth nationally in kick returns and fifth in punt returns.
Da Prato spent the 2007-12 seasons at Sacramento State, where he coached the receivers all six years and added coaching the special teams 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, is one of just 11 players in school history to catch over 100 passes in a career. He averaged 73.61 receiving yards per game, ranking third in Hornet history. Washington set a new school single-season record with 83 receptions in 2008 and his 1,279 receiving yards that year are the second-most ever by a Hornet.
Da Prato began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Louisiana-Monroe, where he served as the graduate assistant on offense for the 2004-05 seasons; he then was promoted to the director of operations and recruiting coordinator in 2006. He earned two degrees from UL-Monroe, his bachelor’s in Health & Human Performance in 2003, and his Master’s in Education, with emphasis in Instructional Technology, in 2004.
He began his college football career at New Mexico Highlands University in 2000, where he spent one year as the starting quarterback. He then transferred to Chabot (Calif.) Junior College where he started (QB) 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, also at quarterback. He was an Academic All-Conference team member at ULM. As a junior in 2002, ULM opened at Mississippi, where he started at quarterback and played against a secondary coached by Mike MacIntyre.
He 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 (he was an All-District and All-League performer at quarterback on the gridiron). His hobbies include playing golf and hiking. He is married to the former Giovanna Arrondo.
