Who is Eddy McGilvra? Looking at Sacramento State's new defensive line coach

The Sacramento State Hornets have hired Eddy McGilvra as their new defensive line coach. The D-line guru will join the Hornets as they look to reshape their program ahead of the 2025 college football season.

Let's examine the new Hornets defensive line coach's profile.

Who is Eddy McGilvra?

Eddy McGilvra is a defensive expert and personal defensive line coach for high school, college and professional football players. He has worked with many impressive clientele, including Quinnen Williams and Laiatu Latu. He has helped players prepare for the rigorous defensive drills of the draft combine and during the NFL offseason so that they can come back refreshed for a grueling year.

McGilvra has experience working with players on almost every NFL franchise. His expertise includes drills with John Franklin-Myers, Michael Brockers, Kenny Clark and the 2021 Los Angeles Rams defensive line (except for Aaron Donald). McGilvra worked his magic with junior college prospects, many of whom made it to Division I.

McGilvra's most recent success story was with Indianapolis Colts star Laiatu Latu. Latu was the first defensive prospect off the draft board in the recent draft. McGilvra worked extensively with Latu (and four of his teammates), and the rookie is having a stellar first season in the league as a result.

What's the task for Eddy McGilvra at Sacramento State?

With his hiring as the full-time defensive line coach of the Sacramento State Hornets, Eddy McGilvra will have to dedicate significant time to the students under his guidance. He might have to reduce his work with draft prospects and NFL stars.

McGilvra has a big job to do at Sacramento State as the program ended this season with a 3-9 record. The Hornets lost their last five games. This season's run is even more surprising considering that the Hornets went 8-5 in 2023. Thus, it begs the question of what went wrong over a year's long span.

McGilvra is a marquee signing, and he could use his track record of success to attract top-notch defensive line prospects to the Hornets. Being the personal D-line coach for a high draft pick is something most defensive-minded college football coaches cannot bring to the table. Seeing how McGilvra tackles this unique opportunity at Sacramento State will be interesting.