Prior to joining the Sun Devils, Modin spent four seasons at UC Santa Barbara, where he oversaw the Gauchos' multi-event and high jump groups and helped develop multiple Big West champions, NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans.
Modin's tenure was highlighted by the development of Brad Thomas, who established himself as one of the nation's top decathletes. In 2025, Thomas captured the Big West decathlon championship with a school and conference-record 8,108 points before finishing as the national runner-up at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with 7,888 points to earn First-Team All-America honors. Thomas was later named the Big West Men's Field Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Gaucho in program history to earn the honor.
Thomas improved by more than 1,400 points during his collegiate career, progressing from 6,662 points and a fourth-place finish at the 2022 Big West Championships prior to Modin's arrival to his record-setting performance in 2025.
The Gauchos also found consistent success across the multi-events during Modin's tenure. Jessica Swalve finished runner-up in the heptathlon at the 2023 Big West Championships, while Jeramiah Havens placed fourth in the decathlon in 2024. Hudson Shaver continued that success in 2026, earning bronze in the Big West decathlon with 7,413 points.
Modin also helped guide success in the high jump, highlighted by Leon Gillis capturing the 2023 Big West championship with a clearance of 2.14m (7-0.25) before advancing to the NCAA West First Round. In 2026, Ally Tito placed fourth at the Big West Championships and earned a trip to the NCAA West First Round after recording a personal-best clearance of 1.75m (5-8.75).
A seven-time NCAA All-American during his collegiate career at Oregon, Modin capped his time with the Ducks by capturing the Pac-12 decathlon championship. He also scored at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships in each season from 2014-17.
Following his collegiate career, Modin competed internationally for the United States in the decathlon. He placed second at the Pan-American Combined Events Cup and finished seventh at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Before joining UC Santa Barbara, Modin coached at Brophy College Prep in Phoenix, where he worked with groups of 30 student-athletes while preparing them for competition. He also served as the school's strength and conditioning coach, developing training programs for its athletic teams.
Modin graduated from Oregon in March 2017 with a bachelor's degree in general social science with an emphasis in applied economics and business.