Who is D.J. Eliot? NC State's potential DC target for 2025 season

D.J. Eliot is set to bring extensive defensive coaching expertise to NC State as the team’s new defensive coordinator, replacing Tony Gibson, who recently accepted the head coaching position at the Marshall Thundering Herd.

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, NC State plans to finalize the hire soon. Eliot has an impressive resume, having served as defensive coordinator at Kentucky, Colorado, Kansas and Temple. Most recently, he worked as a consultant for Baylor this season.

Who is D.J. Eliot?

D.J. Eliot played linebacker at the University of Wyoming under coach Dana Dimel, earning a bachelor’s degree in Natural Science in 1999. He later completed a master’s degree in Education from the University of Houston, graduating in 2002.

Eliot is a seasoned football coach with over two decades of collegiate coaching experience, making him NC State's leading candidate for Defensive Coordinator in the 2025 season. Most recently, he served as the linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, helping the team achieve an 11-6 record and secure a playoff berth.

Throughout his career, Eliot has held prominent roles, including:

• Defensive Coordinator at Kentucky (2013–2016)
• Defensive Coordinator at Colorado (2017–2018)
• Defensive Coordinator at Kansas (2019–2020)
• Defensive Coordinator at Temple (most recently)

Known for his expertise in defensive strategy, Eliot has successfully implemented both 3-4 and 3-3-5 schemes. His coaching legacy includes mentoring several players who went on to the NFL, such as Eagles linebackers Kyron Johnson and Davion Taylor.

D.J. Eliot is expected to bring significant experience to NC State

During his tenure at Kentucky, D.J. Eliot's defenses achieved impressive rankings, placing in the Top 10 in Total Defense once and in the Top 25 twice. At Temple, he led a defense that finished ninth nationally in sacks per game.

Eliot boasts extensive experience, having coached in 139 Division I-A (FBS) games as a full-time coach, including six bowl games:

• 2006 Armed Forces Bowl
• 2008 Texas Bowl
• 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl
• 2011 Champs Sports Bowl
• 2013 Orange Bowl
• 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl

Here is a list of NFL draft picks who were coached by D.J. Eliot:

2018: CB Isaiah Oliver – 2nd Round (58th overall), Atlanta Falcons.

2016: OLB Josh Forrest – 6th Round (190th overall), Los Angeles Rams.

2015: OLB Bud Dupree – 1st Round (22nd overall), Pittsburgh Steelers.

OLB Za’Darius Smith – 4th Round (122nd overall), Baltimore Ravens.

2014: LB Avery Williamson – 5th Round (151st overall), Tennessee Titans.

2013: DE Bjoern Werner – 1st Round (24th overall), Indianapolis Colts.

DE Tank Carradine – 2nd Round (40th overall), San Francisco 49ers.

LB Brandon Jenkins – 5th Round (162nd overall), Washington Redskins.

2012: DE Scott Solomon – 7th Round (211th overall), Tennessee Titans.

2011: DE Markus White – 7th Round (224th overall), Washington Redskins.

DE Cheta Ozougwu – 7th Round (254th overall), Houston Texans.

2008: LB Chris Chamberlain – 7th Round (228th overall), St. Louis Rams.