Sports

QO Alum Named Defensive Coordinator at Nebraska

Gaithersburg native and QO alum John Papuchis has been named the new defensive coordinator at the Big Ten football program.

John Papuchis -- a 1996 graduate of and Gaithersburg native -- has been named the new defensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini announced Dec. 22.

"I'm pleased with how the defensive staff has taken shape," Pelini said in a statement according to Big Red Today. "John Papuchis is an outstanding coach in every area — on the field, in the meeting room, as a recruiter — and he is more than prepared to take the next step in his coaching career. He has worked alongside me for seven years, going back to our time together at LSU, and I have complete confidence in his coaching abilities."

In his fourth year with the Cornhuskers, Papuchis had previously served as Nebraska's defensive line coach, special teams coordinator, and recruiting coordinator.

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"[It's a] great honor and [I'm] very excited," Papuchis wrote in a text message.

Prior to joining Nebraska's coaching staff, Papuchis served as a graduate assistant at Kansas (2001-2003) and as a defensive intern/graduate assistant at Louisiana State University.

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When current Nebraska head coach and former LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini left Baton Rouge in 2007, Papuchis followed suit.

"[Pelini] is a great mentor and I have been fortunate to work with him," Papuchis wrote in a text message.

The new defensive coordinator graduated from Virginia Tech in 2001 with a degree in business management. He completed his masters in sports administration at Kansas in 2003, according to his profile with Nebraska athletics.

Papuchis replaced Carl Pelini, brother of head coach Bo Pelini, who left to take the head coaching position at Florida Atlantic.


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