North Texas hires former Cincy Coach Jeff Koonz

[Harry]

Jeff Koonz joined the University of Cincinnati football staff in 2014 and was elevated to his current role of co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach prior to the 2016 campaign. He coached the safeties in 2014 and the linebackers in 2015. Koonz, who was a graduate assistant for UC head coach Tommy Tuberville during the 2004 season at Auburn, came to UC after four years coaching the linebackers at Louisiana Tech. In 2015, Koonz mentored Second-Team All-American Athletic Conference selection Eric Wilson and freshman standout Bryce Jenkinson who finished first (106) and third (59) on the team in tackles, respectively. UC was 7-6 and played in a bowl game for the fifth straight season, setting a school record. UC finished out its 2014 campaign with a 9-4 record, an American Athletic Conference Championship and a matchup against Virginia Tech in the 2014 Military Bowl. Cincinnati rebounded from a 2-3 start and finished the regular season 9-3 on a seven-game winning streak with a share of the conference crown. S Zach Edwards totaled six double-figure tackle games, including a career-high 18 tackles against Memphis and finished with over 100 stops for the season. During the 2013 campaign, Koonz directed a revamped linebacking corp with Texas Tech transfer Daniel Cobb leading LA Tech’s defense with 82 total tackles and a team-best 12 tackles for a loss. Cobb, named to the Conference USA Honorable Mention All-Conference team, recovered two fumbles, forced a fumble, was in on 1.5 sacks, intercepted a pass and blocked a kick during the season. He was aided by Mitch Villemez’ 69 tackles and three forced fumbles. In his second season in Ruston, Tech’s defense was the “Year of the Linebacker” with starting linebackers Adrien Cole and Jay Dudley accounting for 230 total tackles - 65 percent of Tech’s tackles on the season. Cole led the team with 128 tackles and 13 tackles for a loss as he was named first team All-WAC and the WAC Defensive Player of the Year while Dudley was responsible for 102 tackles, eight tackles for a loss and four interceptions returned for 94 yards, three of which were returned for a touchdown. His first year at Louisiana Tech saw three of his linebackers finish the season in the top four on the team in tackles with Adrien Cole earning second team All-WAC honors. Koonz previously served as a defensive quality control assistant at Texas, helping lead the Longhorns to a Big 12 title and an appearance in the 2009 BCS national championship game against Alabama. Prior to his one-year stint at Texas, Koonz was the secondary coach at Iowa State for two seasons under Chizik while also assisting with special teams. Koonz’s year as overseeing the defensive quality control at Texas was his second stint with the Longhorns having previously served as a graduate assistant coach in Austin during the 2005-06 seasons, coaching the linebackers. During Koonz’s first stay at Texas, the Longhorns won the national collegiate football championship over USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Texas was 13-0 that season en route to the Big 12 championship. Koonz was also a graduate assistant coach at Auburn during the 2004 campaign, coaching the secondary, and was a student assistant coach at Auburn for over a year. While at Auburn, he worked on staffs that led the Tigers to the 2002 Capital One Bowl championship, a 2003 Music City Bowl victory, the 2004 SEC championship and a win in the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl. He graduated from Auburn in 2004 with a bachelor’s of science degree in physical education and received his Master’s degree in educational administration from Texas in 2006. Koonz married the former Maura McDermott in July 2011 and the couple has a daughter, Mary Margaret and a son Jameson Jeffrey. PERSONAL INFORMATION Born: May 30, 1982 Hometown: Wallkill, N.Y. Wife: Maura Children: Mary, Jameson Education: Auburn (2004, B.S.) COACHING CAREER Year: School - Position 2003: Auburn - Student Assistant 2004: Auburn - Defensive GA 2005-06: Texas - Defensive GA 2006: Texas - Linebackers 2007-08: Iowa State - Secondary 2009: Texas - Quality Control 2010-13: Louisiana Tech - Linebackers 2014: Cincinnati - Safeties 2015: Cincinnati - Linebackers 2016: Cincinnati - Co-Defensive Coordinator/LB BOWLS COACHED IN Year: School - Bowl 2003: Auburn - Music City Bowl 2004: Auburn - Sugar Bowl 2005: Texas - Rose Bowl 2006: Texas - Alamo Bowl 2009: Texas - BCS National Championship 2011: Louisiana Tech - Poinsettia 2014: Cincinnati - Military 2015: Cincinnati - Hawai‘i

 

[MGNation92]

Looks to be a middle of the road recruiter, but a decent coach. Glad they're letting Reffett take the reigns. Smart

http://247sports.com/Coach/Jeff-Koonz-848/AllTimeRecruits

http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/jeff_koonz_882316.html

[Mean Green 93-98]

Looks like a solid hire.

[Aldo]

Nice resume

[TheReal_jayD]

 

[Harry]

No. 78 UC defense trying new approach

What Does The Hiring of Jeff Koonz Mean for Bearcat Recruiting?

 

Koonz got his under grad degree from Auburn and his Masters from Texas, and he has a pretty impressive C.V. for someone in his 20's.

• 2003 -- Auburn (Student Assistant)
• 2004 -- Auburn (Graduate Assistant)
• 2005-06 -- Texas (Graduate Assistant)
• 2007-08 -- Iowa State (Secondary)
• 2009 -- Texas (Quality Control)
• 2010-2013 -- Louisiana Tech (Linebackers)

http://www.downthedrive.com/2014/1/9/5293786/tommy-tuberville-makes-one-addition-to-cincinnati-staff-jeff-koonz

 

His dad is head coach at Holmes Community College:

http://www.holmesathletics.com/sports/fball/coaches/jkoonz?view=bio

[Wag Tag]

Wow that is impressive! GMG 

[KRAM1]

Looks like a nice hire for the Mean Green!

[MGNation92]

Okay seeing his ability to recruit at La Tech makes me more hopeful. Seems really active and vocal just like Ekeler, almost like a younger version. Has a lot of energy out there

[Harry]

12 minutes ago, MGNation92 said:

Looks to be a middle of the road recruiter, but a decent coach. Glad they're letting Reffett take the reigns. Smart

http://247sports.com/Coach/Jeff-Koonz-848/AllTimeRecruits

http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/jeff_koonz_882316.html

Jeff Koonz can recruit. Even though his Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are situated in Conference USA, he still was able to bring in quality talent. Not to mention that he was able to do this in the cutthroat football environment that is Louisiana. In fact, Louisiana, along with Mississippi, is actually where he found the most success. In contrast, the Bearcats last Louisiana commitment was some kid named Munchie Legaux back in 2010. Koonz is going to open the door to a fertile area that the Bearcats have largely been missing out on.

His Track Record

In 2011, Koonz reeled in three 3-star recruits and one 2-star recruit, each from Louisiana or Mississippi. For a Conference USA school in that region, those numbers are impressive, even on the surface. Dig a little deeper, and it gets more impressive. The players Koonz signed were also holding offers from schools like Arkansas, Tennessee, Arizona, Baylor, and Mississippi State. In addition, he beat out current AAC schools Memphis and SMU. The only 3-star recruit he target but missed that year was from outside of his “hotspot” in Mobile, Alabama. He ended up signing with Kentucky.

In 2012, Koonz pulled a 3-star Louisiana recruit who was holding offers from programs like Colorado, Kansas State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and (again) SMU. However, he did lose some guys to Mississippi State and Minnesota.

In 2013, his final full season in Louisiana, he didn’t do much recruiting, but he did sign the only player he targeted.

Link:  http://cincyontheprowl.com/2014/01/11/hiring-jeff-koonz-mean-bearcat-recruiting/

[BTG_Fan1]

7 minutes ago, MGNation92 said:

Looks to be a middle of the road recruiter, but a decent coach. Glad they're letting Reffett take the reigns. Smart

http://247sports.com/Coach/Jeff-Koonz-848/AllTimeRecruits

http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/jeff_koonz_882316.html

What I'm wondering about is the salary.. 24/7 says he made 140k last year( not sure what Ek was making) but I'm going to guess that was in the works for a while if we already have an replace for Ek and not OL.

Also, it has him as a Safetys coach, could Reff be switching or Koonz?

[MeanGreenTexan]

What happened to him at Cincy?   

Held the same position as Ek while at Cincy (LBs/Co-DC).  I wonder if he's going to have the same role here, or if he'll just be coaching LBs.

[BTG_Fan1]

2 minutes ago, Harry said:

Jeff Koonz can recruit. Even though his Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are situated in Conference USA, he still was able to bring in quality talent. Not to mention that he was able to do this in the cutthroat football environment that is Louisiana. In fact, Louisiana, along with Mississippi, is actually where he found the most success. In contrast, the Bearcats last Louisiana commitment was some kid named Munchie Legaux back in 2010. Koonz is going to open the door to a fertile area that the Bearcats have largely been missing out on.

His Track Record

In 2011, Koonz reeled in three 3-star recruits and one 2-star recruit, each from Louisiana or Mississippi. For a Conference USA school in that region, those numbers are impressive, even on the surface. Dig a little deeper, and it gets more impressive. The players Koonz signed were also holding offers from schools like Arkansas, Tennessee, Arizona, Baylor, and Mississippi State. In addition, he beat out current AAC schools Memphis and SMU. The only 3-star recruit he target but missed that year was from outside of his “hotspot” in Mobile, Alabama. He ended up signing with Kentucky.

In 2012, Koonz pulled a 3-star Louisiana recruit who was holding offers from programs like Colorado, Kansas State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and (again) SMU. However, he did lose some guys to Mississippi State and Minnesota.

In 2013, his final full season in Louisiana, he didn’t do much recruiting, but he did sign the only player he targeted.

Link:  http://cincyontheprowl.com/2014/01/11/hiring-jeff-koonz-mean-bearcat-recruiting/

I would say that this is a solid addition in terms of recruiting that we have been wanting for awhile now.

[MeanGreenTexan]

4 minutes ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

What I'm wondering about is the salary.. 24/7 says he made 140k last year( not sure what Ek was making) but I'm going to guess that was in the works for a while if we already have an replace for Ek and not OL.

Also, it has him as a Safetys coach, could Reff be switching or Koonz?

Looks like he joined the Cincy staff as Safeties coach, then moved up to LBs/Co-DC the following year.   
This seems like it would be helpful when coaching in a 3-3-5 scheme with the nickel guy out there also being used like a LB.

[Harry]

11 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

What happened to him at Cincy?

The guy that hired him Tommy Tuberville resigned at Cincy late last year.  My sense is he was a casualty of the regime change.

[BTG_Fan1]

1 minute ago, Harry said:

The guy that hired him Tommy Tuberville resigned at Cincy late last year.  My sense is he was a casualty of the regime change.

So I would take that mean he was like Perry? Someone who had roots that the staff liked but only kept around for a year

[UNT Mean Green]

7 minutes ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

So I would take that mean he was like Perry? Someone who had roots that the staff liked but only kept around for a year

No. He was with Tuberville from 2014 - 2016.

Cincinnati just hired Luke Fickell as their head coach, and he's a defensive guy. 

[MeanGreenTexan]

6 minutes ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

So I would take that mean he was like Perry? Someone who had roots that the staff liked but only kept around for a year

Tuberville was canned in December.   Koonz was likely let go at the same time so the new coach (former OHSt DC) Fickell could bring his own guys in.   Koonz waiting around out there for the right job to open up I suppose.   Looks like a good fit.

[BTG_Fan1]

4 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Tuberville was canned in December.   Koonz was likely let go at the same time so the new coach (former OHSt DC) Fickell could bring his own guys in.   Koonz waiting around out there for the right job to open up I suppose.   Looks like a good fit.

 

5 minutes ago, UNT Mean Green said:

No. He was with Tuberville from 2014 - 2016.

Cincinnati just hired Luke Fickell as their head coach, and he's a defensive guy. 

Forgot about UC with Fickell... Wondering if he got a buyout or something(assuming not) like Mainord

[outoftown]

Not yet quite sure what to make of this hire. The guy is certainly proven to be a good (but not great) recruiter, as he was in 247s AAC top 25 in both 2015 and 2016, but never in the top 15. Still, that by itself is improvement for this staff. However, anybody know what the fans at his prior schools have to say about how he did as an LB coach (not a rethorical question)?

Somewhat unrelated, I can't quite get rid of the feeling that this would have been the perfect landing spot for Zach Orr, of whom many think that he is a man with an extremely bright future who maybe should not have to go through grad assistant to land an actual coaching job.

Edited February 9, 2017 by outoftown

[All About UNT]

40 minutes ago, outoftown said:

Not yet quite sure what to make of this hire. The guy is certainly proven to be a good (but not great) recruiter, as he was in 247s AAC top 25 in both 2015 and 2016, but never in the top 15. Still, that by itself is improvement for this staff. However, anybody know what the fans at his prior schools have to say about how he did as an LB coach (not a rethorical question)?

Somewhat unrelated, I can't quite get rid of the feeling that this would have been the perfect landing spot for Zach Orr, of whom many think that he is a man with an extremely bright future who maybe should not have to go through grad assistant to land an actual coaching job.

dude I get it. But should Lance come in as the RB coach after the Cowboys part ways with him?  If they haven't coached then they don't need to be handed a position coaching job right out of the NFL.  WOULD LOVE to have Orr involved with the team but we have no idea if he wants to be a coach yet. There aren't "many" who think he should skip the GA process or even a QC job.... there are a few on a fanboard of his alma mater who are overly homer at the moment.  

[Mean Green 93-98]

6 minutes ago, All About UNT said:

dude I get it. But should Lance come in as the RB coach after the Cowboys part ways with him?  If they haven't coached then they don't need to be handed a position coaching job right out of the NFL.  WOULD LOVE to have Orr involved with the team but we have no idea if he wants to be a coach yet. There aren't "many" who think he should skip the GA process or even a QC job.... there are a few on a fanboard of his alma mater who are overly homer at the moment.  

Thank you.

[BTG_Fan1]

3 minutes ago, All About UNT said:

dude I get it. But should Lance come in as the RB coach after the Cowboys part ways with him?  If they haven't coached then they don't need to be handed a position coaching job right out of the NFL.  WOULD LOVE to have Orr involved with the team but we have no idea if he wants to be a coach yet. There aren't "many" who think he should skip the GA process or even a QC job.... there are a few on a fanboard of his alma mater who are overly homer at the moment.  

The reason Orr was brought up was because of things said about him by the Ravens, that he was a guy who loved working on film and that the Ravens would love to keep around. With that being said, it would likely be viewed as a gain in recruiting because of the success that he had as well here at UNT and then into the pros. But most of all, people loved how he broke down the film with Robertson during the summer when they talked with Scott. I do think Orr could have been someone who came in and coached a position because of the success he had at the next level and how highly they talked about him as well.

[MeanGreenTexan]

15 hours ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

The reason Orr was brought up was because of things said about him by the Ravens, that he was a guy who loved working on film and that the Ravens would love to keep around. With that being said, it would likely be viewed as a gain in recruiting because of the success that he had as well here at UNT and then into the pros. But most of all, people loved how he broke down the film with Robertson during the summer when they talked with Scott. I do think Orr could have been someone who came in and coached a position because of the success he had at the next level and how highly they talked about him as well.

I agree with this.

I'm not saying (some may be, but I'm not) that Zach would be qualified for a coaching position just because he's an alumnus.   I'm saying he would be qualified for a coaching position because of a desire to coach (if he has one), and being a student of the game, and because of Ravens staff's statements about his football IQ and their desire to keep him around.

And, I'm not saying he needs to be hired.  I'm saying he needs to be interviewed...   IF HE WANTS TO COACH.

[BTG_Fan1]

4 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I agree with this.

I'm not saying (some may be, but I'm not) that Zach would be qualified for a coaching position just because he's an alumnus.   I'm saying he would be qualified for a coaching position because of a desire to coach (if he has one), and being a student of the game, and because of Ravens staff's statements about his football IQ and their desire to keep him around.

And, I'm not saying he needs to be hired.  I'm saying he needs to be interviewed...   IF HE WANTS TO COACH.

100% but now it's unlikely as an LB coach.. but would be great if he worked in the AD office, some coaching.. Would be great if they just gave him some ability to just see where he would want to go.. just saying and not sure if it's allowed but would be a great time to pair him up with the D staff and do a Zac Orr Summer camp.. have the staff help him and maybe some guys from the NFL come down and do the camp at Apogee as well..