Adam Beadle to interview NAU coach Brian Wright on culture, portal, recruiting

Adam Beadle’s upcoming sitdown with Brian Wright lands at the exact point where culture and roster management meet for FCS programs. Northern Arizona has gone from rebuilding to winning under Wright, and the numbers behind that climb explain why his approach to the portal and recruiting now matters across the Big Sky Conference.

Wright, named NAU’s 31st head coach on Dec. 3, 2023, is heading into his third season in Flagstaff. In his first two years, the Lumberjacks posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2012-15, and their 15 victories over that span are the program’s most since 2013-14. That run also brought NAU its first FCS playoff berth since 2017, with the Lumberjacks earning an at-large bid in November 2024 after finishing 8-5 overall and 6-2 in Big Sky play.

The playoff result showed how thin the margin still is at this level. NAU fell 24-0 at Abilene Christian in the first round, a reminder that building a roster and finishing one are not the same task. But the Lumberjacks also showed real home-field traction, winning seven straight games at home dating back to 2023 and going a perfect 5-0 in Flagstaff in 2024. For an FCS team outside the national powers, that kind of consistency matters because it tells recruits the program has a real weekly standard, not just a good story.

That is the backdrop for Wright’s 2026 roster work. NAU announced 22 signees during the early signing period on Dec. 3, 2025, then followed with a transfer portal class ranked No. 3 in the FCS by 247Sports on March 16, 2026. On Jan. 12, 2026, Wright added Trenton Greene as defensive coordinator and Preston Mays as running backs coach, and he said, “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Trenton Greene and Coach Preston Mays to the Lumberjack family. Their addition to our staff will play a major role in strengthening our culture, raising our standards and continuing to grow what we’re building here in Flagstaff.”

The timing makes the interview especially revealing. The NCAA cut football transfer-window time from 45 days to 30 days in October 2024, and the FCS Oversight Committee later recommended a 10-day January window for FCS players in September 2025. That means Wright is building in a faster, tighter market where geography, culture and evaluation speed all collide. Beadle’s 40-minute discussion, set to drop Saturday on AZHSFB’s YouTube channel, should show what wins prospects now: a clear role, a staff they trust and a program that can prove it is still climbing.