Today, five fellows were selected from the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Coaching Academy, presented by ReliaQuest, to return to Tampa to work alongside the team's coaching staff as they prepare for the 2025 regular season. Robert Earnest Ayers Jr., Michael Gerst, Nadine Nurasyid, Payton Pardee and Henry Schlegel will represent the 2025 class.
The five coaches took part in an immersive weeklong academy this past May, participating in team meetings and on-field coaching sessions throughout rookie minicamp. While in Tampa, they participated in masterclass sessions featuring Super Bowl Champion head coaches Jon Gruden, Bruce Arians and Tony Dungy, Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronde Barber, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht.
"I was very impressed with the level of professionalism and attention to detail from our most recent class of coaches who participated in this year's Buccaneers National Coaching Academy," said Bowles. "This opportunity for these five fellows to work alongside our players and coaches throughout training camp and the preseason will be a very valuable experience as they continue their coaching journeys. I look forward to working alongside them as we prepare for the 2025 season."
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Coaching Academy is open to all persons with three or more years of coaching or work experience in a football program at the high school, college or semi-professional league level. The Glazer family, owners of the Buccaneers, created the Academy as part of their longstanding commitment to helping develop leaders both on and off the field. Now in its second year, the Academy was established to create new pathways for coaches seeking the opportunity to work in the National Football League (NFL).
Following a decade-long playing career, Ayers turned to the sidelines in 2020, getting his start at Knoxville Catholic High School as a defensive line coach before transitioning to defensive coordinator. From there, he returned to his alma mater at the University of Tennessee, now entering his third season with the Volunteers serving as their Assistant Defensive Line Coach. Ayers was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2009 before signing with the New York Giants in 2014 followed by a stint with the Buccaneers from 2016-17.
A New Jersey native, Gerst began his coaching career in 2017 at the high school level. He currently serves as the Head Coach for Fort Lee High School, entering his second season in the role. Prior to beginning his coaching career, Gerst played at the collegiate level, with stints at Columbia University and Garden City Community College before finishing his career at Midwestern State University.
One of two international fellows, Nurasyid began her playing career in 2013 for the Munich Cowboys in her home country of Germany. From there, she earned a spot on the German National Team, participating in the 2015 World Women's Football Games in Tampa. She would continue to play at the international level until 2018, part of a German team that finished as runners-up at the 2017 European Championship. She began coaching while she was still an active player in 2016, with stints at the Straubing Spiders, Munich Cowboys and the German National Team since then. She currently serves as a defensive assistant coach for the Stuttgart Surge and works as an NFL commentator for RTL and DAZN.
Pardee returns to Tampa following the 2025 United Football League (UFL) season, where he served as the Interim Head Coach for the San Antonio Brahmas. A Houston, Texas native, Pardee began coaching in his hometown in 2022 for the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL under Wade Phillips. Following the merger of the XFL and UFL in 2023, Pardee followed Phillips to the Brahmas, beginning his time there as the Special Teams Coordinator & Wide Receivers Coach before taking over as Offensive Coordinator and eventually Interim Head Coach midway through this past season. Pardee began his coaching career at Texas A&M Commerce in 2019 following his playing days at the University of Houston.
Rounding out this year's fellows, Schlegel currently serves as the Quarterback Coach for the Nordic Storm of the European Football League. He began his coaching career in his home country of Germany in 2019 as the Wide Receiver Coach for the Hildesheim Young Invaders. In the same year, he was promoted to Offensive Coordinator and has since occupied roles with the Niedersachsen Mustangs and the Berlin Eagles, as well as volunteer roles in the United States with Bethune Cookman University and Alabama State University. In 2023, while working with the Berlin Thunder, he became the youngest Offensive Coordinator in the history of the European Football League at just 23 years old. He began his current role in January, now coaching in Copenhagen for the Storm.
