Malcolm Agnew enters his third season as Stanford’s running backs coach in 2025.
Young running backs paced the backfield for Stanford in 2024 as three true freshman backs led the position group in carries and yards. Micah Ford led the way with 309 rushing yards in his first season on The Farm, including a 122-yard performance at then-No. 17 Clemson, the most by a freshman running back at Stanford since Kenneth Tolon in 2001. His 124 scrimmage yards in the game were the most by a freshman running back on The Farm since Bryce Love in 2015. Love was named the ACC's Rookie of the Week following the performance. On Nov. 2 at NC State, Cole Tabb made his collegiate debut and carried the ball 11 times for 72 yards. His 11 totes were the most by a Stanford back in his collegiate debut since Toby Gerhart in 2006, and his 72 all-purpose yards are the most in a collegiate debut by a Stanford running back since Christian McCaffrey in 2014.
Three different Stanford running backs found the end zone in 2023, and all Cardinal running backs found increased usage in the passing game. E.J. Smith had an eight-catch game against California, the most by a Stanford running back since 2021, and the fourth-most in an FBS game in 2023. Smith also had 116 receiving yards the following week against No. 17 Notre Dame, the most by a Stanford running back since Christian McCaffrey in the 2016 Rose Bowl Game.
He comes to The Farm after coaching Sacramento State’s running backs since February 2020. In two seasons with the Hornets, he mentored record-breaking running back Cameron Skattebo, who became the Big Sky Offensive MVP and an All-American in 2022.
Agnew joined Sacramento State after spending the previous three seasons at North Dakota in the same position.
In 2022, Agnew coached All-American and Big Sky Offensive MVP Cameron Skattebo to a record-breaking year, while running back Marcus Fulcher also earned Big Sky third-team recognition. Skattebo rushed 196 times for 1,382 yards (7.0 avg) and seven touchdowns while adding 31 receptions for 371 yards and three scores. Fulcher had eight rushing touchdowns on 74 carries, amassing 464 yards on the ground. He also caught 36 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns through the air. His running backs accounted for over 3,700 all-purpose yards during the historic campaign.
In his first year with the Hornets, Agnew coached Skattebo, a freshman, to third team all-Big Sky honors. Skattebo rushed for 523 yards and six touchdowns with all but 12 of those yards coming in the final six games of the season. Overall, the team’s running backs combined for 1,258 rushing yards and nine touchdowns and also caught 68 passes for 643 yards and two scores. The unit averaged 5.80 yards per carry and was led by Skattebo who had a healthy 9.18 ypc average.
While at UND, Agnew coached John Santiago and Brady Oliveira to all-Big Sky honors in 2017. Santiago became just the fifth player in Big Sky history to secure first-team accolades at the same position as a freshman, sophomore, and junior after rushing for 717 yards and five touchdowns while leading the FCS in the regular season with 1,780 all-purpose yards. Oliveira added 637 rushing yards en route to honorable mention accolades.
The following season, UND boasted a three-headed monster at running back with Santiago, Oliveira, and James Johannesson accounting for over 2,700 yards on the ground and 20 touchdowns. With Santiago suiting up in only eight games due to injury, Oliveira shined for the Fighting Hawks with 1,044 all-purpose yards, accumulating an average of 94.9 total yards per game, a team-high 940 yards, 161 carries, and eight touchdowns. He registered four 100-yard rushing games, including a pair of 150+ performances. Johannesson also boasted a trio of 100-yard contests, including a 213-yard day at Sacramento State.
In 2019, Johannesson led the team with 530 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. UND again had a balanced attack with five players rushing for over 150 yards and eight recording at least one rushing touchdown.
Agnew spent his first two seasons as a collegian playing for Mike Riley at Oregon State in 2011 and 2012. After rushing for more than 600 yards in two seasons with the Beavers, Agnew transferred to Southern Illinois where he played his final two collegiate seasons. He amassed 1,708 rushing yards for the Salukis.
Following his graduation, Agnew served as the running backs coach at his alma mater, De Smet Jesuit High School, in St. Louis, Mo., in the fall of 2015. He also spent time with the Los Angeles Rams as a volunteer scouting assistant.
The following year, Agnew was reunited with Riley at Nebraska, where he served as a personnel assistant and focused on recruiting.
His father, Ray Agnew, played 11 seasons in the National Football League and won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams in 1999 and currently serves as Assistant GM of the Detroit Lions. Agnew’s brother, Ray III, had a brief stint in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns (2014), Dallas Cowboys (2015), and Washington Redskins (2015) and is currently a scout with the New York Jets. His younger brother, Keenan, recently finished his career at SIU as a defensive tackle.
Agnew signed an NFL free-agent contract with the Green Bay Packers in 2015 but was forced to end his playing career due to injury. He earned his bachelor’s degree from SIU in radio, television, and digital media with a minor in marketing following the 2015 spring semester.
Agnew and his wife, Amanda, were married in April of 2017 and have a dog, Skye.