Mike Mutz Named Georgia Southern Defensive Coordinator
12/14/2025 6:28:00 PM | Football
Veteran returns to Statesboro after record-setting run leading SFA defense
STATESBORO - Georgia Southern head football coach Clay Helton has announced the hiring of Mike Mutz as the Eagles' new defensive coordinator. A veteran of the college coaching industry with nearly 30 years of experience, Mutz returns to Statesboro after a record-setting, three-year run leading the Stephen F. Austin defense.
"We are very excited to announce that Mike Mutz will be our new defensive coordinator," Helton said. "Mike helped build tremendous success for both Georgia Southern and Tulane as an assistant coach and has taken Stephen F. Austin to elite levels on defense as their defensive coordinator. He brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the room, and I know he will guide our defense to the top of the Sun Belt and beyond. Eagle Nation, please welcome Mike and his family back to Statesboro, Georgia!"
"Eagle Nation, we are fired up to be back," Mutz said. "And like coach Erk Russell said: 'Do what your momma tells you to do, go to Sunday School, go to church, and when you die, you'll go to Statesboro.' GATA!"
While at SFA, Mutz led one of the top defenses in the FCS, culminating in the Lumberjacks earning a No. 7 national seed and returning to the NCAA Division I Championship for the first time since 2021. In 2025, no team in the country spent more time in opponents' backfields than SFA. The Lumberjacks led the FCS in tackles for loss per game at 8.7 and ranked in the top 10 nationally in sacks per game at 3.0. SFA recorded 122 total tackles for loss for 450 yards and went on an 11-game winning streak, advancing to the national quarterfinals. Nine players earned all-conference honors, helping Mutz earn FootballScoop FCS Coordinator of the Year finalist recognition.
In 2024, Mutz's defense posted a top-20 rushing defense nationally, allowing 160.3 yards per game, and a top-10 passing efficiency defense at 111.66. The Lumberjacks ranked second in the league in total defense at 343.4 yards per game in his second season. SFA forced 28 turnovers, the sixth most in the FCS, including 17 interceptions. Bruce Harmon, a Reese's Senior Bowl watch list honoree, and Jeremiah Walker, an honorable mention Associated Press All-American, later signed as undrafted free agents. Harmon signed with the Dallas Cowboys, while Walker joined the Chicago Bears.
Prior to his time at SFA, Mutz spent seven seasons from 2016-22 with the Tulane Green Wave, where he established one of the nation's top linebacker units.
The 2022 season is widely considered the greatest in Tulane history, with Mutz's linebackers playing a key role. The Green Wave completed the largest turnaround in FBS history, improving from 2-10 to 12-2. Tulane finished the season ranked No. 9 nationally, captured the American Athletic Conference championship and won the Cotton Bowl after rallying from a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes against Southern California. Linebacker Dorian Williams was named the Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP, while Nick Anderson earned MVP honors in the AAC Championship Game. The pair combined for 244 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks, along with two interceptions and four forced fumbles. Williams was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, while Anderson signed with the New Orleans Saints.
In 2021, Mutz's linebacker group formed the core of the Tulane defense, accounting for three of the team's five leading tacklers. In 2020, the linebackers combined for 306 tackles, including 40.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks, helping Tulane reach a bowl game for a school-record third consecutive season.
Following the 2020 season, Anderson earned third-team All-America honors from Pro Football Focus, while Williams was named second-team All-AAC after leading the team in tackles. In his first season at Tulane, Mutz coached future NFL player Nico Marley to a standout senior year that earned first-team postseason honors from the American Athletic Conference and the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
Prior to Tulane, Mutz spent two seasons from 2015-16 at Georgia Southern, helping the Eagles compile an 18-7 overall record, a 14-2 mark in Sun Belt Conference play, a Sun Belt championship and a GoDaddy.com Bowl title.
In 2015, Georgia Southern finished 9-4 and earned the program's first bowl victory with a 58-27 win over Bowling Green in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. In his first season with the Eagles, Georgia Southern captured the 2014 Sun Belt Championship in its inaugural FBS campaign. Mutz coached linebacker Edwin Jackson, a first-team All-Sun Belt selection who later signed an NFL free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals and went on to start for the Indianapolis Colts.
Before joining Georgia Southern, Mutz coached at Sam Houston State, Missouri Southern State, Blinn College, Fort Scott Community College and Southern Illinois.
A 1997 graduate of Colorado Mesa University, Mutz earned a degree in psychology with a minor in coaching. He is married to Melissa, and the couple has a son, Charles Lucas, and a daughter, Ella Grace.
"We are very excited to announce that Mike Mutz will be our new defensive coordinator," Helton said. "Mike helped build tremendous success for both Georgia Southern and Tulane as an assistant coach and has taken Stephen F. Austin to elite levels on defense as their defensive coordinator. He brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the room, and I know he will guide our defense to the top of the Sun Belt and beyond. Eagle Nation, please welcome Mike and his family back to Statesboro, Georgia!"
"Eagle Nation, we are fired up to be back," Mutz said. "And like coach Erk Russell said: 'Do what your momma tells you to do, go to Sunday School, go to church, and when you die, you'll go to Statesboro.' GATA!"
While at SFA, Mutz led one of the top defenses in the FCS, culminating in the Lumberjacks earning a No. 7 national seed and returning to the NCAA Division I Championship for the first time since 2021. In 2025, no team in the country spent more time in opponents' backfields than SFA. The Lumberjacks led the FCS in tackles for loss per game at 8.7 and ranked in the top 10 nationally in sacks per game at 3.0. SFA recorded 122 total tackles for loss for 450 yards and went on an 11-game winning streak, advancing to the national quarterfinals. Nine players earned all-conference honors, helping Mutz earn FootballScoop FCS Coordinator of the Year finalist recognition.
In 2024, Mutz's defense posted a top-20 rushing defense nationally, allowing 160.3 yards per game, and a top-10 passing efficiency defense at 111.66. The Lumberjacks ranked second in the league in total defense at 343.4 yards per game in his second season. SFA forced 28 turnovers, the sixth most in the FCS, including 17 interceptions. Bruce Harmon, a Reese's Senior Bowl watch list honoree, and Jeremiah Walker, an honorable mention Associated Press All-American, later signed as undrafted free agents. Harmon signed with the Dallas Cowboys, while Walker joined the Chicago Bears.
Prior to his time at SFA, Mutz spent seven seasons from 2016-22 with the Tulane Green Wave, where he established one of the nation's top linebacker units.
The 2022 season is widely considered the greatest in Tulane history, with Mutz's linebackers playing a key role. The Green Wave completed the largest turnaround in FBS history, improving from 2-10 to 12-2. Tulane finished the season ranked No. 9 nationally, captured the American Athletic Conference championship and won the Cotton Bowl after rallying from a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes against Southern California. Linebacker Dorian Williams was named the Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP, while Nick Anderson earned MVP honors in the AAC Championship Game. The pair combined for 244 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks, along with two interceptions and four forced fumbles. Williams was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, while Anderson signed with the New Orleans Saints.
In 2021, Mutz's linebacker group formed the core of the Tulane defense, accounting for three of the team's five leading tacklers. In 2020, the linebackers combined for 306 tackles, including 40.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks, helping Tulane reach a bowl game for a school-record third consecutive season.
Following the 2020 season, Anderson earned third-team All-America honors from Pro Football Focus, while Williams was named second-team All-AAC after leading the team in tackles. In his first season at Tulane, Mutz coached future NFL player Nico Marley to a standout senior year that earned first-team postseason honors from the American Athletic Conference and the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
Prior to Tulane, Mutz spent two seasons from 2015-16 at Georgia Southern, helping the Eagles compile an 18-7 overall record, a 14-2 mark in Sun Belt Conference play, a Sun Belt championship and a GoDaddy.com Bowl title.
In 2015, Georgia Southern finished 9-4 and earned the program's first bowl victory with a 58-27 win over Bowling Green in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. In his first season with the Eagles, Georgia Southern captured the 2014 Sun Belt Championship in its inaugural FBS campaign. Mutz coached linebacker Edwin Jackson, a first-team All-Sun Belt selection who later signed an NFL free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals and went on to start for the Indianapolis Colts.
Before joining Georgia Southern, Mutz coached at Sam Houston State, Missouri Southern State, Blinn College, Fort Scott Community College and Southern Illinois.
A 1997 graduate of Colorado Mesa University, Mutz earned a degree in psychology with a minor in coaching. He is married to Melissa, and the couple has a son, Charles Lucas, and a daughter, Ella Grace.
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