West Virginia University Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown announced Tuesday that inside linebackers coach Jeff Koonz has replaced Jordan Lesley as defensive coordinator for the rest of the season.
WVU’s move comes ahead of a Big 12 game Saturday against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium. Koonz was on UC’s coaching staff for three seasons, from 2014 to 2016.
WVU is 3-2 in the conference, with a 4-4 record overall. But the Mountaineers have lost two of their last three games, allowing 99 points in those games.
What to know about Koonz, WVU’s new defensive coordinator:
Koonz coached safeties at UC in 2014, and linebackers in 2015 and 2016.
Koonz, who also served as the Bearcats’ co-defensive coordinator, was an assistant for the Bearcats on then-head coach Tommy Tuberville’s staff. Koonz also worked under Tuberville at Auburn in 2004, when Koonz was a grad assistant coaching the Tigers’ secondary.
Koonz graduated from Auburn earlier that year, and earned his master’s in educational administration two years later from Texas.
Koonz is in his fifth season on the WVU coaching staff.
Koonz has served as the special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the Mountaineers since 2020.
Koonz coached inside LBs at Ole Miss for a season before he arrived in Morgantown, and was LBs coach at North Texas for two seasons before that.
Before his three seasons at UC, Koonz was an assistant at Louisiana Tech, Texas and Iowa State.
WVU’s defense was dominant for three quarters in a 42-21 defeat of UC last November.
The Mountaineers led 42-7 at the end of the third quarter last season in Morgantown to cruise to victory.
It’s the only time WVU has faced UC since Koonz arrived at WVU.
Koonz’s WVU defense includes Josiah Jackson and Jordan Jackson, redshirt freshmen defensive backs from Fairfield High School, and Zae Jennings, a freshman from Winton Woods.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jeff Koonz: WVU Mountaineers defensive coordinator coached UC Bearcats
