Marty Biagi has been named the Special Teams Coordinator at the University of Notre Dame. The 15-year coaching veteran boasts nine years of special teams coordinator experience, including twice being named a finalist for the FootballScoop.com Special Teams Coordinator of the Year. Each of the last six place kickers he has helped develop have connected on 77.8 percent or more of their kicks. The hiring will be effective at the conclusion of the University’s standard employment process.
“We are pleased to add a coach of the caliber of Marty Biagi to our program,” said Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Marcus Freeman. “He has coached his special teams units to great success at multiple schools. He is an elite recruiter and developer of talent. We are excited to have Marty here with us.”
Biagi spent the 2022 season at Ole Miss, leading the special teams units for the Rebels. Under his guidance Jonathan Cruz went 15-of-17 on field goal attempts, leading the SEC in field goal percentage at 88 percent. Cruz took home Third-Team All-SEC honors in 2022.
Notable student-athletes developed by Biagi throughout his career include –
- Mitchell Fineran, K, Purdue, 2021 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention
- Ethan Mooney, K, North Texas, 2022 Lou Groza Award Semifinalist
- Cole Hedlund, K, North Texas, 2018 First-Team All-Conference USA
- Trevor Moore, K, North Texas, 2017 Second-Team All-Conference USA
- Danny Johnson, DB, Southern, in 2018 first Southern player invited to the Senior Bowl, UDFA, current Washington Commanders DB
- Payne Durham, TE, Purdue, 2022 Second-Team All-Big Ten
- Derrick Barnes, LB, Purdue, 2020 Second-Team All-Big Ten, 2021 NFL Fourth-Round Draft Selection – Detroit Lions
- Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss, 2022 Second-Team All-SEC
Prior to his season in Oxford, Biagi spent two seasons as the special teams coordinator at Purdue.
In 2021, Purdue’s Mitchell Fineran was 24-of-29 in field goal attempts, including a perfect four-for-four performance and the game-winner in the Boilermakers’ Music City Bowl win over Tennessee.
In 2020, wide receiver TJ Sheffield emerged as a top kickoff return threat, averaging 21.2 yards per return with a long of 41 yards on the year. Fifth-year placekicker J.D. Dellinger finished his final season at Purdue by going seven of nine on field goal attempts with a long of 45 yards.
Biagi joined the Purdue staff after spending the previous three seasons in a similar capacity at North Texas. The Mean Green scored six special teams touchdowns, blocked nine punts, four kicks and had 10 players recognized with All-Conference USA accolades during Biagi’s tenure. North Texas won nine games in both 2017 and 2018, appearing in the New Orleans Bowl and the New Mexico Bowl, respectively.
Biagi’s special teams unit at UNT finished in the top 20 in the Football Bowl Division in blocked kicks/punts all three seasons in Denton, tying for 11th in 2017, for 19th in 2018 and for sixth in 2019. Biagi was named a finalist for Special Teams Coach of the Year for the second time in his career in 2017.
He improved the Mean Green’s kickoff return average from 19.0 yards in 2017 (106th in FBS) to 23.7 yards in 2018 (22nd) and 23.3 yards in 2019 (25th), scoring touchdowns on kickoff returns in each of the latter two years.
Biagi’s punt return units averaged 10.1 yards per return in his three seasons at UNT (55-554) and scored at least once each year.
Three different place kickers combined to make 55 of 64 field goal attempts (85.9 percent) under Biagi’s guide at UNT. In 2017, senior Trevor Moore finished with the most accurate season of kicking in school history, hitting 20 of 22 field goal attempts and all 55 PATs.
Biagi spent one season (2016) as a special teams analyst at Notre Dame. The Fighting averaged 23.1 yards per kickoff return (27th nationally) and returned a pair of kicks for touchdowns.
Prior to his lone season in South Bend, Biagi spent 2015 as the cornerbacks coach at South Dakota. With a 24-21 victory at five-time national champion North Dakota State highlighting the year, the Coyotes won their most games since 2011.
Biagi got his start in collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at Arkansas and has served as the co-defensive coordinator at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2011) and special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Southern (2012-14).
In 2014, Southern returned four kickoffs and three punts for touchdowns, finishing the season ranked among the top teams in the Football Championship Subdivision in blocked kicks, blocked punts, kickoff returns, punt returns, punt return defense and net punting. For his efforts, Biagi was named a finalist for Special Teams Coach of the Year.
A native of Shelbyville, Kentucky, Biagi was a punter and placekicker at Marshall. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 2008.
Biagi and his wife, Rachael, have one son, Martin Jr. (MJ).
THE BIAGI FILE
- Name: Marty Biagi
- Hometown: Shelbyville, KY
- High School: Shelbyville
- Education: Marshall (2008)
- Wife: Rachael
- Children: Martin Jr. (MJ)
PLAYING CAREER
- 2004-08 Marshall (Punter and Placekicker)
COACHING CAREER
- 2011 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Co-Defensive Coordinator
- 2012-14 Southern Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Backs
- 2015 South Dakota Cornerbacks
- 2016 Notre Dame Special Teams Analyst
- 2017-19 North Texas Special Teams Coordinator
- 2020-21 Purdue Special Teams Coordinator
- 2022 Mississippi Special Teams Coordinator
BOWLS COACHED IN
- 2017 North Texas (New Orleans Bowl)
- 2018 North Texas (New Mexico Bowl)
- 2021 Purdue (Music City Bowl)
- 2022 Mississippi (Texas Bowl)