大象APP

Our series, 鈥淏ehind the Bear Down,鈥� is focusing on the glue pieces of Arizona football on a weekly basis in the fall 鈥� most of them year-round. Up first: Lauren Vossler, assistant athletic director of football operations.

Lauren Vossler described her job as 鈥渄oing a little bit of everything鈥� and 鈥渂eing a problem solver鈥� for Arizona football.

As Arizona鈥檚 assistant athletic director of football operations, 鈥渆verything runs through me,鈥� Vossler said. Day-to-day operations for the Arizona football coaches and players are influenced by her.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 team travel or organizing the schedule or helping out in recruiting, meals, every little piece of the program, I have a hand in, and I feel like I鈥檓 the problem solver,鈥� Vossler said. 鈥淚f a kid needs help getting his financial aid, or if we need help scheduling team meals or recruiting, I鈥檓 just a go-to Swiss-army knife.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to explain, but just anything behind the scenes that just helps the program run.鈥�

Vossler knew she was destined to pursue a career in sports, 鈥渂ut I didn鈥檛 know in what capacity,鈥� she said. Growing up in Mesa, her family was longtime season-ticket holders for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

鈥淚 really thought my route was Major League Baseball, because that鈥檚 my favorite sport, but this was a great opportunity and I just felt like I had a direct impact on the team. ... Working in football now, I admire the sport more and have grown an appreciation for it.鈥�

Vossler played basketball at Red Mountain High School in Mesa and graduated in 2016, before enrolling at the UA, where she initially took a business route, but she switched to general studies with sports-focused classes. Vossler was a recruiting intern for the UA football program under former UA coaches Rich Rodriguez and Kevin Sumlin until she graduated in 2019.

After graduation, she was hired as Arizona鈥檚 on-campus recruiting coordinator and became the assistant director of football operations in 2020. Under former head coach Jedd Fisch, she was the director of travel and football logistics, then replaced Dr. Andrew Simms as the assistant athletic director for football operations under Brent Brennan.

Long story short, every Division I college football team has a 鈥渄irector of ops鈥� and that person for Arizona is Vossler, who is one of the longest-tenured staff members at Arizona.

Vossler, nicknamed 鈥淰oss Dawg鈥� and "Voss Boss," has worked for four different coaching staffs and is entering her ninth season with the program 鈥� seventh as a full-time staffer.

She was there for Khalil Tate鈥檚 breakout season in 2017. She hosted NFL players Jordan Morgan and Tyler Loop on their official visits at the UA. She was there to orchestrate safe ways to practice during a pandemic-influenced season. She saw 70-7 against Arizona State. She saw the 20-game losing streak followed by the 10-win season and victory at the Alamo Bowl two years later under Fisch in 2023. She saw Arizona jump from the Pac-12 to the Big 12.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen it all,鈥� Vossler said. 鈥淚 have respect for all the head coaches I鈥檝e been with. I appreciate them all in different ways.鈥�

Since the 26-year-old Vossler isn鈥檛 far removed from her days as a student at Arizona, 鈥淚 can relate to the players in a way, but they also respect me and see me more as a motherly figure,鈥� she said.

Even though Vossler has worked for the Arizona football program for nearly a decade, she still has 鈥減inch-me moments.鈥�

鈥淚 was in a coordinator meeting with (offensive coordinator Seth Doege), Brennan, (defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales) and then me at the table,鈥� Vossler said. 鈥淚 was running the meeting and I鈥檓 just like, 鈥榃hat am I doing? Am I supposed to be doing this?鈥� It鈥檚 really cool.鈥�

Another pinch-me moment for Vossler was her influence on Arizona鈥檚 鈥渢urnover sword,鈥� a cactus-shaped sword the UA defense has been using to stab footballs to celebrate turnovers. Former Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen, who had a turnover sword at USC, approached Vossler about Arizona having its own version of the turnover sword three weeks before the 2022 season opener.

Vossler didn鈥檛 want to mimic USC, but 鈥渢he answer is never no鈥� with Arizona鈥檚 director of operations.

鈥淓ven if someone comes to me with something crazy, I entertain it, figure it out and give it an effort,鈥� Vossler said.

Vossler drew a concept of the turnover sword on a sticky note and vetted multiple swordsmiths, but found a welder through printing manufacturer 鈥淕raphic Impact.鈥�

Not everyone was the biggest fan of the turnover sword. In Arizona鈥檚 home opener against Mississippi State in 2022, the Wildcats鈥� three takeaways resulted in three Adidas-branded MSU footballs getting punctured and deflated.

鈥淢ike Leach thought it was awesome and he was only mad about his team throwing turnovers, but their admin weren鈥檛 so fired up about it,鈥� Vossler said.

To make both sides happy, Vossler ordered Arizona鈥檚 equipment staff to order replica balls that opponents use, 鈥渟o now we don鈥檛 ruin their game balls,鈥� Vossler said.

The turnover sword was mostly used in 2023, especially in the Alamo Bowl, when Arizona caused six takeaways to beat Oklahoma. Arizona went to San Antonio with six replica OU footballs and stuck every single one on the sword.

Arizona made a new turnover sword, with the original model 鈥� with all six OU footballs pronged like a kabob 鈥� displayed in Vossler鈥檚 office at the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility.

Now, the turnover sword will be an added feature in 鈥淐ollege Football 26,鈥� EA Sports鈥� wildly popular video game.

鈥淚t鈥檚 cool,鈥� said Vossler, who unsheathes the turnover sword during every Arizona game. 鈥淭he joy that the defense finds in it and how they celebrate is really cool. It鈥檚 my little contribution to Arizona.鈥�

Sometimes problems arise on the job, like Arizona鈥檚 team plane having a slash in a tire as the Wildcats boarded for Salt Lake City to battle 10th-ranked Utah last season. Every road trip during the season, Vossler takes a commercial flight to wherever Arizona is playing on two days prior to 鈥渟et up the hotel, meet the busses on the road and do a bunch of on-site things.鈥�

鈥淚 handle all communication with the plane, the busses and hotels throughout the week,鈥� Vossler said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of different layers to it.鈥�

When Arizona鈥檚 plane to Salt Lake City couldn鈥檛 leave, 鈥淚 was in Salt Lake and there wasn鈥檛 much we can do, but we just kind of went into crisis and problem-solving mode,鈥� Vossler said. Arizona found a late-night flight, albeit some staffers were forced to travel the following morning.

鈥淵ou just find a way to solve problems,鈥� she added. 鈥淪o all I could do was call people, call the airline to see if they had a recovery plane. You just find a way.鈥�

Vossler 鈥渢akes a lot of pride鈥� in being a young woman in a male-dominated field, 鈥渂ut I look across the country and there鈥檚 finally more females getting in this role.鈥�

鈥淵ou鈥檙e finally seeing more females in the operation space,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven in the NFL, more females are being presidents and taking over their organization and operations. It鈥檚 just really cool. I think we bring a different perspective and skillset than males do.

鈥淲ith the players, I do feel like I鈥檓 either an older sister or a mom to them. They don鈥檛 have their families here and if they need help with things, they can come to me for anything and I can help them out. I take take a lot of pride in it.鈥�

Vossler said her 鈥渆nd goal is to leave Arizona football better than I found it.鈥�

鈥淚 think I will, but I think there鈥檚 still a little bit more I can do,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his role, what Coach Brennan has given me, this opportunity, it鈥檚 why I鈥檓 here.鈥�