Blake Crandall joined the UT Permian Basin football staff in 2023, where he will serve as Wide Receivers Coach / Passing Game Coordinator. He was elevated to Co - Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers Coach heading into the 2024 season.
In Crandall's third season at UTPB (2025), the Falcon's made the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the second time in program history and advanced to the Super Region Final (NCAA Quarterfinals) for the first time in program history. UTPB finished the season 11-3 overall, setting a program record for wins in a single season while also earning the first two playoff wins in program history, and was in a three-team tie for second in the Lone Star Conference with a 7-2 record. Crandall coached four all-conference wide receivers during the season, including second-team selection Ben Patterson and honorable mention players TJ McKenzie, Traylen Suel and Jaylon Tillman. As a team, UTPB ranked first in all of NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference in total passing offense (4,622 yards), ranked first in DII and the LSC in first downs (367 first downs), ranked fourth in DII and first in the LSC in total offense (6,467 yards), ranked 21st in DII and second in the LSC in third-down conversion percentage (46.2 percent), ranked ninth in DII and first in the LSC in fourth-down conversion percentage (71.8 percent), ranked 16th in DII and third in the LSC in scoring offense (37.1 points per game), and ranked fifth in DII and first in the LSC in offensive touchdowns (68 touchdowns). The Falcons also set new program records for passing completions (363), passing attempts (564), passing yards (4,622), passing touchdowns (36), total touchdowns (70), points (520), total offensive plays (1,046), and total yards of offense (6,467) in a single season. One of Crandall's receivers, Ben Patterson, finished his career second in program history with 1,774 career receiving yards, just 19 yards shy of the program record.
Before UTPB, Crandall was the Running Backs Coach for East Central University (DII), where he developed an All-Great American Conference (GAC) running back during the 2022 season under current Falcon Head Coach Kris McCullough.
In 2021, Crandall was a graduate assistant for Delta State University coaching the safeties. Prior to his time at Delta State, Crandall was the Running Backs and Wide Receivers Coach at Oklahoma Panhandle State University from 2019-20 where he developed three all-conference athletes.
Crandall was a three-year starter at wide receiver at Friends University, where he was a two-time All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) honoree. Crandall also played wide receiver for the Highland Community College. A native of Winfield, Kansas, Crandall earned his Master of Science in Sports Management at Delta State (2021), a Bachelor of Science degree at Friends University (2018), and an Associate of Arts Degree from Highland Community College (2015). Blake and wife Naomi got married in the summer of 2022.
