South Dakota State loses defensive coordinator to Abilene Christian
Matt Zimmer
South Dakota State will have new coordinators on both sides of the ball in 2019.
Two weeks after the Jackrabbits lost offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness to Northern Illinois, defensive coordinator Clint Brown has left SDSU to take the same position with Abilene Christian, an FCS program in Texas. There, Brown will replace Tremaine Jackson, a former University of Sioux Falls assistant who’s moving on to Texas State.
More:Eric Eidsness leaving South Dakota State for Northern Illinois
Brown spent 10 years on the SDSU staff, the last six as defensive coordinator. He also coached the Jackrabbit defensive ends. Though SDSU has typically leaned on its offense, Brown’s defenses did their part to help the Jacks reach the playoffs eight times in those 10 years, including trips to the semifinals in each of the last two. The Jacks ranked 25th in the country by allowing an average of 22 points per game in 2018.
The good news for SDSU is there are plenty of in-house candidates to take over the defense. Linebackers coach Jimmy Rogers, cornerbacks coach Dan Jackson, defensive tackles coach Christian Smith and safeties coach Brian Bergstrom are all viable options. Bergstrom was the defensive coordinator at Augustana before coming to SDSU. The Jacks now have an opening for a defensive assistant, but the next coordinator will be one of the holdovers. The new hire would likely take Brown’s role as defensive ends coach.
More:South Dakota State football puts finishing touches on recruiting class
“You never want to have to replace any coaches, because continuity on a staff is really important,” said head coach John Stiegelmeier. “But like I told the team – when I’m done here they’re going to hire a better coach than me. So when somebody leaves it’s my job to figure out how we’re going to be a better football program with who we bring in.”
As for the offensive side of the ball, SDSU has posted an opening for a running backs coach. While not official, that means Zach Lujan is moving from running backs coach to quarterbacks coach. Offensive line coach Jason Eck is expected to be named offensive coordinator (while retaining his role coaching the line), with tight ends coach Luke Schleusner adding passing game coordinator to his duties.