A defensive coordinator is a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

responsible for a

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

( American football) team's

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...

and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, with the head coach being the first level. The primary role of the defensive coordinator is managing the roster of defensive players, overseeing the assistant coaches, developing the defensive game plan, and calling plays for the defense during the game. The defensive coordinator typically manages multiple position coaches, each of whom are responsible for various defensive positions on the team (such as the defensive line, linebackers, or

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

s).The Coaching Staff in American Football
" Dummies.com. Retrieved: 6 October 2014. While the job of defensive coordinator is largely similar at the collegiate and professional level, college coaches are more involved in the

recruitment Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individual ...

process. A successful defensive coordinator is often a stepping stone to the position of head coach. Other major sports with strong delineation between offensive and defensive positions use similar coaching positions. For example, Phil Housley is a defensive coordinator in the National Hockey League, working for the Nashville Predators from 2013 to 2017, the Arizona Coyotes from 2019 to 2022,Phil Housley happy for Sabres’ success, doesn’t want to dwell on past
/ref> and currently the New York Rangers since 2023.

See also

References

Further reading