Matt House enters his first season on Head Coach Ron Turner’s staff as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator after serving in the same role at Pittsburgh for the past two years. House will also coach the FIU linebackers.
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 the 2014 season, Pittsburgh ranked 33rd nationally in total defense (359.8 yards-per-game).
The Panthers ranked 34th nationally in total defense in 2013, yielding 367.5 yards-per-contest. The steadily improving unit saved one of its best performances for last, limiting Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green to just 289 yards in a 30-27 Pitt victory in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. The high-flying Falcons' offense had been averaging 472 yards and 35 points-per-game.
House joined Paul Chryst's original staff in 2012 as secondary coach following a four-year tenure in the National Football League. In his debut season at Pitt, House's defensive backfield helped the Panthers earn lofty NCAA rankings in pass defense (20th, 194.2 yards/game), pass efficiency defense (21st, 113.12 rating) and interceptions (26th, 15 total).
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 defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator under Turner Gill at the University at Buffalo for two seasons (2006-07). In his final season at UB, the rising Bulls captured a share of the MAC East Division title. House's pupils at Buffalo included four-time first-team All-MAC safety Davonte Shannon, a native of Jeannette, Pa., and graduate of Jeannette High. Shannon finished as the Bulls' all-time leading tackler and signed a free-agent contract with the Washington Redskins.
House additionally was defensive line coach at Gardner-Webb University (2005) where he helped develop consensus All-America defensive end Brian Johnston. The two-time Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Year would go on to be selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 NFL Draft.
House began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan State (his alma mater) during the 2001 and `02 seasons and worked with the Spartans' defensive backs and special teams. The 2002 Spartans earned an invitation to the Silicon Valley Bowl. He also was a defensive assistant at North Carolina for two years (2003-04), working with the secondary.
House and his wife Jessi have a daughter, Avery, and three sons, Jackson, Jacob and Trent.
