North Carolina State University Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
Wyoming '99
28th year in coaching; 2nd year at NC State
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
COLLEGE – Played linebacker at Wyoming for coach Dana Dimel; HIGH SCHOOL - Lettered in football and basketball at Edmond (Oklahoma) Memorial High School.
EDUCATION:
Earned a bachelor’s degree in natural science from Wyoming in 1999 and his master’s degree in education from Houston in 2002.
PERSONAL:
Grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma, graduating from Edmond Memorial High School, where he ll. He and his wife, the former Miekel Marsh, have one son, Dawson, and three daughters, Drue, Page, and Reace.
BOWL EXPERIENCE:
AS A COACH (9): NC State: 2025 Gasparilla Bowl; Baylor: 2024 Texas Bowl; Kentucky: 2016 Taxslayer Bowl; Florida State: 2012 Orange Bowl, 2011 Champs Sports Bowl, 2010 Chick Fil A Bowl; Rice: 2008 Texas Bowl; Tulsa: 2006 Armed Forces Bowl; Miami - 2002 Fiesta Bowl (BCS Championship)
COACHING HIGHLIGHTS:
Overall:
- Boasts coaching experience from the NFL, the ACC, the SEC, the Big 12 and the Pac-12.
At NC State:
- Linebacker Caden Fordham led the ACC in tackles (fourth in FBS), was a first-team All-ACC performer and a second-team All-American.
At Temple:
- Directed a defense that ranked eighth in the FBS in sacks per game (3.2), ninth in TFLs per game (7.3) and 24th in passing yards allowed per game (198.6). Temple tallied 38 sacks, more than doubling the previous year’s output.
At Kansas:
- Seven players earned postseason honors during his tenure, including linebacker Kyron Johnson who was drafted and plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
At Colorado:
- Mentored third-round NFL draft pick Davion Taylor.
- In 2018, defense finished third in the conference in opponent third-down conversion rate (36.4) and fourth in opponent yards per play (5.2), opponent red zone touchdown efficiency (51.6 pct.) and sacks (29).
- During the 2017 season, he guided defensive back Isaiah Oliver to first-team All-Pac 12 accolades.
At Kentucky:
- Led 11 Wildcats to All-SEC recognition and in three of his four years with the school, one of his linebackers recorded over 100 tackles in a season.
- The Wildcats set a new school record for defensive touchdowns with six in 2014, recording 23 takeaways that year. UK jumped 45 places in total defense rankings from 2013 to 2014 under Eliot, finishing in the top half of the nation in that statistic.
At Florida State:
- The 2012 FSU defense ranked second nationally in total defense (254.1 yards per game) and sixth in scoring defense (14.7 points per game).
- In three seasons at Florida State (2010-12), the team went 31-10 and tied for the national lead in sacks with 48 in 2010. In 2011, FSU limited opponents to just 2.35 yards per carry, which led the nation.
- Defensive ends Bjorn Werner and Cornellius Carradine combined for 31 tackles for losses, including 24 sacks, when FSU finished 12-2. Werner went on to be named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year on his way to earning All-America honors.
YEAR BY YEAR WITH DJ ELIOT
| Year(s) | Team | Position |
| 1999 | Wyoming | Graduate Assistant |
| 2000-01 | Houston | Graduate Assistant |
| 2002 | Miami | Graduate Assistant |
| 2003-05 | Texas State | Linebackers/Defensive Backs |
| 2006 | Tulsa | Linebackers |
| 2007-09 | Rice | Defensive Line/Recruiting coordinator |
| 2010-12 | Florida State | Defensive Ends |
| 2013-16 | Kentucky | Defensive Coordinator/LBs |
| 2017-18 | Colorado | Defensive Coordinator/OLBs |
| 2019-20 | Kansas | Defensive Coordinator/LBs |
| 2022 | Temple | Defensive Coordinator/OLBs |
| 2023 | Philadelphia Eagles | Linebackers |
| 2024 | Baylor | Senior Analyst |
| 2025- | NC State | Defensive Coordinator/LBs |
