Tosh Lupoi (born July 22, 1981) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

coach who is the defensive coordinator and

linebackers coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

. He previously served as the defensive line coach for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

in 2021, the defensive line and run game coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, the defensive line coach for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

in 2019 and the defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

from 2017 to 2018.

Playing career

As a player, Lupoi was a defensive lineman for Cal from 2000-05. He led the Bears' defensive line in tackles in 2003 and earned Pac-10 All-Academic recognition in 2005.

Coaching career

University of California, Berkeley

In 2008, Lupoi was hired as a defensive line coach at his alma mater,

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. During his time as a Cal coach, Lupoi developed a reputation as an elite recruiter. In 2010, Lupoi was suspended for his role in instructing nose tackle Aaron Tipoti to fake an injury in a game against Oregon to try to slow down Oregon's fast, up-tempo offense. He left Cal amid controversy after he allegedly used his position as a Cal recruiter to convince elite recruits to commit to the University of Washington—where he intended to become a coach.

University of Washington

Following his departure from California, Lupoi served as the defensive line coach for

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

from 2012 to 2013. During his tenure, Lupoi was investigated and suspended for allegedly paying $4,500 to an associate of a recruit, though the matter was ultimately dismissed and deemed false. Head coach Steve Sarkisian elected not to rehire Lupoi when he left Washington to become the coach at USC. The new Washington head coach Chris Petersen also refused to hire him.

University of Alabama

Lupoi joined the Crimson Tide staff as a defensive analyst in 2014 and coached the outside linebackers in 2015. He added the title of co-defensive coordinator prior to the 2016 season and served as defensive coordinator in 2018. During his time at Alabama, the Crimson Tide qualified for the College Football Playoffs all five seasons, advanced to the National Championship game four times and captured two national titles (2015 and 2017). During his time as coordinator, Alabama led the nation in scoring defense in 2016 (13.0 ppg) and 2017 (11.9). The school also finished second in the nation in total defense in 2016 (260.4 ypg) and 2017 (261.8 ypg). Lupoi worked with several players who went on to be first-round picks in the NFL, including DE

Jonathan Allen Jonathan Allen (born January 16, 1995) is an American football defensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he won several defensive player of the year awards ...

, LB

Reuben Foster Reuben Foster (born April 4, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. A consensus All-American in high school, Foster was regarded as the best linebacker prospect of his class before committing to Alabama, where he played ...

, S

Minkah Fitzpatrick Minkah Annane Fitzpatrick Jr. (born November 17, 1996) is an American football free safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the f ...

, NT

Daron Payne Daron Payne ( ; born May 27, 1997) is an American football defensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he won the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champi ...

and LB Rashaan Evans.

Cleveland Browns

On January 18, 2019, Lupoi was hired by the

as their defensive line coach under head coach Freddie Kitchens.

Atlanta Falcons

On January 11, 2020, Lupoi was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their defensive line coach and run game coordinator under head coach Dan Quinn.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On February 11, 2021, Lupoi was hired by the

as their defensive line coach under head coach

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...

Oregon Ducks

On January 10, 2022, Lupoi was hired by the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. ...

as their defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under head coach Dan Lanning.

References

External links

Atlanta Falcons bio

Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lupoi, Tosh 1981 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches Atlanta Falcons coaches California Golden Bears football coaches California Golden Bears football players Cleveland Browns coaches Jacksonville Jaguars coaches Oregon Ducks football coaches Washington Huskies football coaches Coaches of American football from California De La Salle High School (Concord, California) alumni