Reports: Virginia Hires Air Force DC John Rudzinski as Defensive Coordinator

Rudzinski's Air Force defense ranked No. 4 in the country in total defense this season

Matt Newton | Jan 13, 2022

Photo courtesy of Brent Briggeman/Colorado Springs Gazette

Help for the Virginia football defense is on the way.

Air Force defensive coordinator John Rudzinski has been hired as Virginia's next defensive coordinator, as first reported by Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel on Thursday.

Sources: Air Force DC John Rudzinski has agreed to become the next defensive coordinator at Virginia. He's consistently produced high-end defenses, including the country's No. 3 total defense unit in 2021 and No. 3 scoring defense in 2020.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 13, 2022

Rudzinski has spent nearly the entirety of his coaching career at Air Force and has been the Falcons' defensive coordinator since 2018. He played linebacker at Air Force from 2002-2005 and remained there as a graduate assistant through 2006. After serving as a defensive assistant at First Baptist School in South Carolina from 2007-2009, Rudzinski returned to Air Force and served as a defensive assistant (2010-2011), recruiting coordinator (2012-2014), outside linebackers coach (2012-2013), and defensive backs coach (2014-2017), before being promoted to defensive coordinator, a position he has held since 2018.

Rudzinski has done a remarkable job as defensive coordinator in Colorado Springs. His defensive unit gave up just 15.0 points per game in 2020, the third-best mark in all of college football that season and the best scoring defense Air Force had seen since 1997. This season, the Air Force Defense ranked No. 4 in the country in total defense, allowing just 296.5 yards per game in 13 games. The Falcons went 10-3, including a 31-28 victory over Louisville in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl to end the season.

With this hire, head coach Tony Elliott has filled most of the key positions on his new Virginia football coaching staff. Navy defensive ends coach Kevin Downing, Army wide receivers coach Keith Gaither, and former UVA football star linebacker Chris Slade will serve under Rudzinski on UVA's defensive coaching staff. Atlanta Falcons running backs coach Des Kitchings was hired as Virginia's offensive coordinator and Elliott also made three hires to fill out Adam Smotherman's strength and conditioning staff at UVA.

Rudzinski certainly has his work cut out for him to rebuild the Virginia defense, which finished the season 121st in the country in total defense (466 yards allowed per game) and 104th in scoring defense (31.8 points allowed per game). Hiring one of the best defensive coordinators in college football is certainly a big step in the right direction for the Virginia football program as it enters the Tony Elliott era.

Read more from Cavaliers Now