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College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Rising Stars: Best Coaches 35 and Under (Defense/Special Teams)

Meet the top defensive and special teams coaches under 35 who are quickly rising in the college football ranks.

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By: Mike Huesmann

My annual Best Coaches Under 35 sees some alterations for the 2025 version. Previously I released it all at once, but this year I will break it in two. We will see defense and special teams today and offense will be my next article. Due to numbers my head coach, who was last year’s offensive coordinator, will be with the defense today. To make this list a coach must be at the FBS level and 35 years old or younger.

Head Coach

Zach Kittley, Florida Atlantic

It’s no surprise that Kittley got here at age 33. He coached Bailey Zappe to success at Houston Baptist and then Western Kentucky before being snatched up by Joey McGuire in Lubbock. His offenses have been dynamic and tough to defend. FAU has been going in reverse ever since Lane Kiffin left, and I expect this to stop now.

Defensive Coordinator

Glenn Schumann, Georgia

A coach from the Saban/Smart tree. He was a student assistant and graduate assistant for the Tide before going to UGA with Kirby Smart. Schumann has won six national titles as an assistant, four with the Tide and the last two with Georgia. Schumann has continually climbed the ladder and looks to get the chance to be a head coach sometime soon. I expect he will be able to skip the G5 and become a P4 head coach when he chooses. He is a coach who is in a great place now and can be selective about the job he takes.

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Defensive Line

Christian Smith, Northwestern

Smith joined the ranks of coaches from elite FCS schools going to Northwestern under David Braun. Year one under Braun was great, year two saw regression, but this is an extremely tough place to win consistently. Smith spent many years at South Dakota State where he won a national title and had a runner-up finish. Smith is a Toledo alumnus where he played DL. He knows how to coach and motivate guys in the trenches.

Linebackers 

Aaron Bohl, Wyoming

If the name sounds familiar, it is. Bohl is the son of former Cowboys head coach Craig Bohl. But make no mistake, he is a riser in the game and on the path upward. He coached LBs here since 2017 and was named DC by new head coach Jay Sawvel in advance of the 2024 season. Several of his LBs have been tremendous in the MWC, including Easton Gibbs, Logan Wilson, and Chad Muma.

Defensive Backs

Keelon Brookins, Coastal Carolina

Brookins was hired by the Chants this offseason. He spent 2024 at Louisiana Tech. Prior to that he had two stints at Northern Iowa and one at Kent State. Brookins began his playing career at Wisconsin and finished at Northern Iowa. His DBs have been adept at both tackling and forcing turnovers.

Special Teams

Jacob Bronowski, Pittsburgh

2024 was Bronowski’s first season at Pitt after coaching under Chuck Martin at Miami (OH). His special teams units were outstanding there with Alec Bevelhimer gaining national praise. He spent time at Tennessee before Miami. I have praised both Chuck Martin and Pat Narduzzi many times for their consistency, if they both like Bronowski enough to hire him as a coordinator, he’s got what it takes. 

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