Kent State's David Duggan Leaves for Jacksonville Academy

© Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Kent State University announced that their defensive coordinator, David Duggan, has resigned. After joining the team in 2023, Duggan was not only the defensive coordinator but also a linebackers coach. In his only season with the team, the Flashes posted a 1-11 record, finishing last in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. Despite the record, he coached defensive lineman C.J. West to All-Conference honors last season.

Duggan resigned his position to accept a head coaching position at Jackson Academy, a high school which is located near his family in Jackson, Miss. Kent State coach Kenni Burns publicly stated that the team fully supported Duggan’s decision and thanked him “for his contributions and commitment to our program over the past year." The university announced the search for a new defensive coordinator will begin “immediately."

Who is Duggan?

Duggan played linebacker for his alma mater, New Hampshire, from 1982-1986. When his playing career was finished, he began his coaching career at Allegheny College as an inside linebacker coach in 1988. After a single-season stop, he then went on to become the inside linebacker coach at New Hampshire until 1991. He went on to make multiple stops at many different colleges as a defensive coordinator, linebacker coach and special teams coordinator. His most recent position prior to joining Kent State was as the defensive coordinator at Arkansas State from 2019-2020. In the years between Arkansas State and Kent State, he served in an administrative role as the director of recruiting at Troy University.

In addition to his collegiate coaching career, Duggan has some pro coaching experience as well. He was the head coach for the Cologne Centurions in NFL Europe (a development league for the NFL that has ceased operations since) for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Under his command, the team went 10-9 that year.