REPORTS: NC State is Expected to Hire Former Philadelphia Eagles Linebackers Coach DJ Eliot as Their Defensive Coordinator

According to reports, NC State is expected to hire former Philadelphia Eagles Linebackers Coach DJ Eliot as their new Defensive Coordinator, after Tony Gibson left the Wolfpack to become the Head Coach at Marshall. Eliot served as a consultant at Baylor this season.

Sources: North Carolina State is expected to hire D.J. Eliot as the school’s new defensive coordinator. He’s been a DC at Colorado, Kentucky, Kansas and Temple. pic.twitter.com/GNGz09REKJ

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 31, 2024

Eliot served as the Eagles’ Linebacker’s coach in 2023. It’s my assumption that Eliot will coach the Linebackers as well, just like Gibson did. Eliot not only coached Linebackers in the NFL, but he also has been a Linebackers Coach at the collegiate level for 10 seasons.

Under Tony Gibson, NC State has run a 3-3-5 defensive scheme. At Kansas, Colorado and Kentucky, Eliot ran a 3-4 scheme.

He coached at the collegiate level for 20 years (an additional 4 years as a Graduate Assistant) for heading to Philly.

Prior to making the jump to the NFL, Eliot served as the Defensive Coordinator for 4 different teams over 9 seasons (2013-20, 22).

With the Owls, Eliot directed a defense that ranked ninth in the country in sacks per game (3.2), 10th in tackles for loss per game (7.3) and also 24th in passing yards allowed per game (198.6). Overall, Temple tallied 38 sacks, which more than doubled the defense’s total from 2021 (15). Eliot also mentored linebacker Layton Jordan to a career-high nine sacks, which ranked second in the American Athletic Conference.

Prior to his time at Temple, Eliot spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Kansas (2019-20). Seven players earned postseason honors during his tenure, including Eagles linebacker Kyron Johnson, who was named All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2020.

Before his stint at Kansas, Eliot was the defensive coordinator/outside linebackers coach for two seasons at Colorado (2017-18), where he mentored Eagles linebacker Davion Taylor. In 2018, his unit finished third in the conference in opponent third-down conversion rate (36.4 pct.) and fourth in opponent yards per play (5.2), opponent red zone touchdown efficiency (51.6 pct.) and sacks (29, tied). During the 2017 season, he guided defensive back Isaiah Oliver to first-team All-Pac 12 accolades. (Link)

Eliot was the Defensive Coordinator at Kentucky from 2013-16. The Wildcats ranked in the Top-50 in Pass Defense in 3 of those seasons.

He then served as the DC at Colorado from 2017-18, Kansas from 2019-2020 and Temple in 2022.

In 2018, Colorado ranked 52nd in Total Defense and 44th in Run Defense.

In 2022, Temple ranked 24th in Pass Defense.