MIAMI (March 19, 2019) – With the spring football season on the horizon for FIU, Head Coach
Butch Davis announced on Tuesday that
Jeff Copp and newly hired
Jerod Kruse will be named Co-Defensive Coordinators.
Copp, who has been with the Panthers since the arrival of Davis in 2017, was promoted from assistant coach to the new title. Kruse comes to FIU after spending the past two seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
"We're very excited to announce the hiring of
Jerod Kruse to our coaching staff," Davis said. "He has a wealth of experience on the college level and in the NFL and we're blessed to have someone like him on our staff."
In addition to serving as co-defensive coordinators, Copp will switch his coaching role to overseeing the linebackers, while Kruse will coach the safeties.
"
Jeff Copp has shown himself to be a very capable defensive mind," Davis said. "We made the decision to promote him to Co-Defensive Coordinator based on what he has done for us in these past two seasons. We are very lucky to have Copp and Kruse overseeing our defense next season."
Kruse comes to FIU after coaching the last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, assisting with defensive backs. Kruse helped transform the Browns secondary from the bottom of the NFL rankings to the Top 10 in just two short seasons, finishing Top 5 in interceptions and passing touchdowns allowed, while ranking in the Top 10 for passing yards per attempt and red zone passing defense.
Kruse also helped develop rookie Denzel Ward to a Pro Bowl selection in 2018. Kruse was under interim head coach Gregg Williams while at Cleveland, who he also spent time with at the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams.
Prior to the NFL, Kruse logged 16 years at the collegiate level as well, making stops at Emporia State (2001-06), Baker University (2007), William Jewell College (2008-14) and Southeastern Louisiana (2015). While at William Jewell, Kruse was named the 2014 Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year after leading the team to its highest conference finish since 1990. The Cardinals also received a school-record 11 All-GLVC selections in 2014.
Kruse also played football collegiately, starting his career at Coffeyville Junior College (Kansas) where he was an All-Jayhawk Conference selection and played on two national runner-up teams. He spent his final two seasons at Emporia State, where he was named Special Teams Player of the Year as a junior and Most Inspirational Player as a senior. Kruse earned both his bachelor's degree in social science (2000) and master's degree in health and physical education (2007) from Emporia State.
Copp has coached FIU's safeties the last two seasons, coaching a ball-hungry group that ranked second in C-USA and 11th nationally for total interceptions (17) in 2018. Additionally, the 194.1 passing yards per game in 2018 ranked 30th overall in the country. Copp's starting safeties,
Dorian Hall and
Olin Cushion III, ranked third and fifth on the team for tackles last season after collecting 65 and 46 respectively. Hall's successful season landed him C-USA All-Freshman Team honors in 2018.
Copp has had previous stops at Northern Arizona, UC Davis, Utah State, Idaho State and Arizona State. Copp earned his bachelor's degree in health sciences from Boise State in 2001 then added a master's degree in higher education at ASU in 2003.
Entering its 18th year of football in 2019, the FIU Panthers are coming off a program-best nine wins a season ago. FIU capped 2018 with a 35-32 victory over Toledo in the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl to finish the season 9-4 overall. Under legendary head coach
Butch Davis, the Panthers have earned back-to-back bowl appearances and 17 wins in the last two years.
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