FootballScoop is proud to announce that Marty Biagi (Notre Dame) is the recipient of the 2024 FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year, presented by AstroTurf and as selected by prior winners of the award.
Two years ago, when reigning Special Teams Coordinator of the Year Brian Mason opted to depart Notre Dame for a shot to run teams for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman moved swiftly to pluck Biagi from the SEC at Ole Miss.
And Freeman, whose own devotion to special teams sees him continue to lead coaching the Notre Dame punt-coverage unit, has teamed with Biagi and Irish senior special teams analyst Jesse Schmitt to uncork a diabolical array of blocks, fakes and coerced timeouts with the steel nerves of a seat at the World Series of Poker.
“Marty has made a great impact in our program with his innovative approach to special teams,” Freeman told FootballScoop. “He consistently finds ways to put us in a position to win that phase of the game.”
Consider: The Irish ran (and executed) both a fake punt and field goal in their win in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, run a controversial fake punt for a touchdown against Virginia that dotted highlight reels all weekend -- even as officials called back the play amidst no shortage of controversy; boldly executed a fake punt in their must-win, regular-season finale at USC from deep in their own territory, utilizing a Tyler Buchner pass to Mitchell Evans to maintain control against the explosive Trojans; ran a reverse on the opening kickoff of the second half against Indiana in the first-ever game of the 12-team College Football Playoff, a play that ignited the Irish with Jordan Faison's 48-yard return to midfield.
"I think it’s something that once (Freeman) has confidence and belief in the guys, you know, and he’s seen the play worked and repped over and over again, this isn’t just an off-the-hoof thought," Biagi said of the Irish's calculated-yet-ruthless special teams approach. "There’s risk and reward but we also believe in our players, and so when it works, it’s credit to them. When it doesn’t, it’s my job to figure out the why."
For good measure, Notre Dame added six combined blocked punts and field goals on the season, utilizing a combination of well-honed technique and the sheer athleticism of freakish freshman defensive end Bryce Young.
Though Mitch Jeter, one of college football's most accurate kickers who signed with Notre Dame from South Carolina after the 2023 season, battled a hamstring injury for much of the season, he returned to drill a 49-yard field goal in the CFP-opening 27-17 win against Indiana.
A Marshall graduate, Biagi is a 2-time FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year finalist for his previous work coordinating special teams at Ole Miss, Purdue and North Texas. He started coaching in 2011 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and has previous defensive backs coaching experience at Southern and South Dakota.
Schmitt is a two-time Purdue graduate with previous experience at his alma mater, Western Kentucky and Tulane. He joined Notre Dame's staff in 2022.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists -- Indiana's Grant Cain, Vanderbilt's Jeff LePak, Baylor's Mark Scott and Toledo's Stanton Weber and Biagi were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the Special Teams Coordinator of the Year award are James Shibest (Ole Miss, 2008 and Virginia Tech, 2017), Mike Tolleson (Texas, 2009), Joe Robinson (LSU, 2010), John Baxter (USC, 2011), D.J. Durkin (Florida, 2012), Jeff Ulbrich (UCLA, 2013), Robby Discher (Oklahoma State, 2014), Sean Snyder (Kansas State, 2015), Andre Powell (Pittsburgh, 2016), Jeff Banks (Alabama, 2018), Blake Gideon (Houston, 2019), Zac Alley/Winston Venable (Boise State, 2020), Jay Harbaugh (Michigan, 2021), Brian Mason (Notre Dame, 2022) and LeVar Woods (Iowa, 2023).
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