Connor Benado returned to the Missouri State staff in the spring 2025 to lead the Bears linebacker group.
The native of Oxnard, Calif., spent the previous four seasons (2021-24) at Southeast Missouri State, coaching inside linebackers and specialists for the Redhawks of the Ohio Valley Conference. During his time in Cape Girardeau, SEMO claimed two conference titles and played in the FCS playoffs in 2022 and 2024. He coached inside linebackers in his first season with coach Tom Matukewicz, also overseeing defensive quality control.
Inside linebacker Bryce Norman, a two-time All-American and first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference pick, led SEMO in tackles two seasons under Benado (2023 and 2024). While with the Redhawks, Benado also coached first-team All-Big South-OVC punt returner Dalyn McDonald and All-American kicker DC Pippin.
Prior to his coaching tenure at SEMO, Benado worked two years at Missouri State where he was a graduate assistant in charge of special teams quality control in 2019 and 2020 while also working with defensive backs. He worked with head coaches Dave Steckel (2019) and Bobby Petrino (2020) during his first tenure with the Bears and was part of the 2020-21 Missouri Valley Football Conference spring championship run that culminated in the squad’s first FCS playoff appearance in 30 years. He coached All-American long snapper Chandler Collins (2019) during his stint in Springfield.
In 2018, he was an inside linebackers coach at William Jewell College.
Benado started coaching at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan., where he was the inside linebackers and assistant strength coach for two years (2016-17). He also worked with special teams, academics football operations and quality control.
As a player at MidAmerica Nazarene, Benado helped lead the Pioneers to the 2016 Heart of America Conference title.
Benado earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from MidAmerica Nazarene in 2016 and later earned his Masters of Professional Studies in Sports Management at Missouri State in 2020.
He and his wife, Caitlyn, now reside in Springfield.
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