(Crookston, Minn.)- University of Minnesota, Crookston head football coach Paul Miller has announced the hiring of Ty Knott as new defensive coordinator. He replaces Josh Hager who recently accepted the position of defensive coordinator at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis.

“At this important juncture in our program history, I am very pleased that we have added Ty Knott to our coaching staff,” says Coach Miller. “In the interview process, he demonstrated a tremendous expertise from both a fundamental and schematic standpoint along with a great passion for working with student-athletes. He has been significantly involved with some of the outstanding defenses in the National Football League (NFL) for a number of years. I am confident that with his background and also by my discussions with those that know him that he, along with our other defensive staff members (Mark Dufner and Sean Knox), will provide the leadership necessary to help us make significant progress as a defensive unit this fall.”   

This past season, Coach Knott served as the secondary coach at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. The Tigers finished number one in total defense in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). In addition, he was the special teams coordinator at Texas Southern.

Previous to his time at Texas Southern, Coach Knott was the director of player development for the San Francisco 49ers under Mike Singletary. His duties also included serving as San Francisco's offensive quality control coach. His NFL background provides him with a wealth of skills to bring with him to the U of M, Crookston staff. Coach Knott worked extensively with linebackers while spending three years with the New Orleans Saints under the direction of defensive coordinator Winston Moss.  He also spent three years with the Green Bay Packers as offensive quality control coach and was with the Jacksonville Jaguars in a similar capacity. Coach Knott also participated in the NFL Bill Walsh Minority Program.
    
Prior to his NFL experience, Coach Knott was the defensive coordinator at Greenville College in North Carolina. He served as a graduate assistant in the Big Ten Conference at Indiana University.
     
Coach Knott played defensive back in college under the tutelage of Greg McMackin who was formerly the University of Hawaii head coach. He has extensive recruiting connections to California, Texas and Oregon along with the St. Louis metroplex area.
      
Coach Knott has a Master's Degree in Applied Health Science from the University of Indiana. His Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree was earned from Southern Oregon University where he majored in Social Science.
     
Ty Knott is the founder of the Why Knott Dream Big Foundation that raises money for families of youngsters with special needs in the area of autism.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics Web site at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

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The University of Minnesota, Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).
    
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