Before he ever coached a defensive back to lock down a receiver, Coach Fern earned his discipline in the United States Marine Corps. A proud Marine veteran, he carries the same intensity, structure, and no-excuses mentality from the battlefield to the football field. There are no shortcuts. There is no quit. You earn everything.

His coaching journey spans over 10 years and two countries. It started at the youth level in Mexico, where he developed a passion for teaching the game the right way — fundamentals first, character always. From there he brought that same standard to the Rialto Panthers under the Junior All American program, developing young athletes in one of the most competitive youth football circuits around.

Coach Fern didn’t just arrive at the varsity level — he earned his way up the Fontana coaching ladder. From 2017 to 2019 he served as the WR/RB coach for the Fohi Freshmen team, shaping the next generation of Steelers before stepping into his current role as Varsity DBs Coach. Every player who came through his rooms is better for it.

As the DBs Coach for the FOHI Steelers, Coach Fern turns defensive backs into the hardest-hitting, most disciplined unit on the field. His players don’t just cover — they eliminate. Ball-hawking technique, film study, relentless pursuit — his secondary plays with a Marine’s precision and a competitor’s fire.

Off the field, Coach Fern built the CoachFern platform from scratch — a full technology suite that gives the entire coaching staff an edge no other program has. AI-powered playbook quizzes, real-time defensive grading, play prediction analytics, and player development tracking — all designed by a coach who refuses to be outworked or out-prepared.

“Semper Fi means always faithful — to your brothers, to the grind, and to the standard. We don’t take plays off.”

“Who’s got it better than us?” — Coach Jim Harbaugh