MIAMI (Jan. 23, 2015) – FIU Football Head Coach Ron Turner announced on Friday the addition of Matt House to his coaching staff. House will serve as defensive coordinator, replacing Josh Conklin who joined the Pittsburgh Panthers coaching staff in early January.
 
"We are very fortunate to have Matt House as our defensive coordinator," Turner said. "We are familiar with what he does, having played Pittsburgh last season, having schemed and scouted his defense. He's a very sound, very thorough and very impressive coach. He will be a great fit for our staff. We are excited about our defense and believe that Coach House will take them to another level."
 
House comes to FIU after spending two years as the Pittsburgh Panthers defensive coordinator (2013 & 2014) and one year as Pitt's secondary coach (2012). During his three years at Pittsburgh, the Panthers defense ranked in the top third nationally, ranking No. 33 in 2014 (359.8 yards-per-game), No. 34 in 2013 (367.5 yards-per-game) and No. 20 (194.2 yards-per-game).
 
"I'm excited to be the defensive coordinator at FIU," House said. "I'm excited with what Coach Turner and his staff are doing here and the direction that the program is going in. This is a young team. And, the defensive unit is growing and getting better every day. I look forward to being part of the process and helping the defense continue to grow."
 
Prior to Pitt, House served as a defensive quality control coach with the St. Louis Rams from 2009-11. In 2008, he was a special teams assistant with the Carolina Panthers, who went 12-4 that year en route to the NFC South Division title and the fourth-ever playoff berth in franchise history. In addition to contributing to special teams, House also served as a strength and conditioning assistant with the Panthers.
 
Prior to the NFL, House was the defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator under Turner Gill at the University at Buffalo for two seasons (2006-07).
 
House additionally was defensive line coach at Gardner-Webb University (2005) and spent two seasons working with North Carolina (2003-04) as a defensive assistant, working with the secondary. House began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan State (his alma mater) during the 2001 and 2002 seasons and worked with the Spartans' defensive backs and special teams
 
House and his wife Jessi have a daughter, Avery, and three sons, Jackson, Jacob and Trent.
 
What they are saying about Coach House
 
"Matt House in one of the fine young coaches out there. He is extremely resourceful and committed and will expect the same of his player. He has great integrity and his ability to communicate is something his players will appreciate. He is a superb person." – John Bunting – former Head Coach at North Carolina
 
"It doesn't surprise me that FIU would bring a guy like Matt House into its organization. He's one of those young coaches who is far beyond his years – a real knowledgeable, character man who knows how to relate to the players. He will be an asset to FIU's staff. If you're a college head coach and have an opportunity to hire a Matt House, I think you made your program better." – Steve Spagnuolo – New York Giants Defensive Coordinator

"Matt House is a very detailed and energetic coach. He is extremely passionate about the game and the players." – Paul Chryst – Head Coach of the Wisconsin Badgers

#####
 
For the latest information on Panthers football, follow us on Twitter, @FIUFootball, and check out Pete Pelegrin's in-depth coverage of FIU Athletics on his official blog, The Prowl, at www.FIUSports.com.
 
#####


About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.