Terry Joseph 2020-21 Football Staff

Terry Joseph, previously an assistant coach at Tennessee, Nebraska, Texas A&M and North Carolina, enters his first year in 2018 with the Notre Dame football program as the defensive backs coach.

“Having the chance to coach at Notre Dame is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Joseph. “There are a lot of great programs in the nation but there is truly only one Notre Dame. I’m looking forward to working with Coach Kelly, the rest of the staff and embracing the opportunity to compete on a national stage in pursuit of this program’s mission: to graduate all of its players and win a national championship.”

“Terry has an excellent reputation as a quality teacher and coach, as well as a committed recruiter,” said Brian Kelly, Dick Corbett Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame. “He has developed all-conference caliber players at each of his earlier stops, including Power-5 programs North Carolina, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Tennessee. Our players will certainly benefit from Terry’s teaching in terms of football, but I’m probably more excited to see our players benefit from his leadership skills away from football.”

Joseph comes to Notre Dame following one season as the defensive backs coach at North Carolina. He tutored cornerback M.J. Stewart, who will participate in the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl. A two-time All-ACC honorable mention selection, Stewart registered 45 tackles, 12 pass breakups, 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in 2017.

Prior to joining the Tar Heels staff, Joseph served as the defensive backs coach at Texas A&M for three seasons (2014-16). He tutored an Aggies pass defense in 2015 that ranked fourth nationally in passing yards allowed per game and 18th in pass efficiency defense. Joseph was instrumental in the position switch of Brandon Williams in 2015. Williams, who converted from a running back to cornerback prior to the start of the `15 season, ultimately developed into a third-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. In 2016, Joseph mentored All-SEC strong safety Justin Evans who also was a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award.

Previously, Joseph spent two seasons at Nebraska as its secondary coach (2012-13). Despite the loss of two returning starters, his 2012 secondary led the nation in opponent completion percentage (47.1 percent), ranked fourth in pass defense (168.2 yards allowed per game) and ninth in pass efficiency defense (105.32), while helping the Cornhuskers to a 10-win season. The 168.2 passing yards per game NU allowed was the second-fewest by a Husker defense since 1993, while the 47.1 completion percentage was the lowest for Nebraska since 2001.

Individually in 2012, cornhusker safety Daimion Stafford earned first-team All-Big Ten honors under Joseph’s tutelage after leading the conference with four interceptions in league play. Stafford ranked second on the team with 96 tackles, and he forced two fumbles and recovered a pair of fumbles. Cornerback Ciante Evans earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from CBS and honorable-mention accolades from the league’s coaches. He totaled 56 tackles and ranked second on the team with eight pass breakups. Cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste led Nebraska with nine pass breakups and recorded a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown against Minnesota. Evans registered a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown against Idaho State. Senior safety P.J. Smith also earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors in 2012. The Cornhuskers’ three overall interception returns for touchdowns tied for its most since 2006, while the Huskers’ 13 interceptions in 2012 eclipsed its 2011 total.

Before coming to Nebraska, Joseph spent two seasons as the defensive backs coach at Tennessee, where he also served as the recruiting coordinator. Joseph helped the Volunteer defense rank among the nation’s top pass defenses in both 2010 and 2011. In 2011, UT finished 12th nationally in passing yards allowed with an average of just 177.8 yards per game. Joseph oversaw a young defensive backfield, including true freshman Brian Randolph, who earned SEC all-freshman honors.

In Joseph’s first season in Knoxville in 2010, he helped the Vols rank in the top 20 in the nation with 18 interceptions, and the group played a key role in a late-season run that earned Tennessee a trip to the Music City Bowl. Safety Janzen Jackson and cornerback Prentiss Waggner each earned second-team All-SEC honors. Waggner returned a school-record three interceptions for touchdowns.

Joseph joined the Tennessee staff after working under Derek Dooley for three seasons at Louisiana Tech from 2007-09, where he also served as the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator. Joseph played a key role in a defensive turnaround at Louisiana Tech.

The highlight of Joseph’s stint at Louisiana Tech came in 2008, when the Bulldogs finished second in the Western Athletic Conference and earned their first bowl trip in seven seasons. Tech completed an 8-5 season with a 17-10 victory over Northern Illinois in the Independence Bowl.

Joseph also coordinated Tech’s recruiting efforts, and the 2009 class was ranked second in the WAC. He was ranked as one of the top five recruiters in a non-BCS conference by Rivals.com.

Joseph worked alongside former Nebraska and current Youngstown State head coach Bo Pelini as a defensive graduate assistant at LSU in 2006. During his one season in Baton Rouge, Joseph helped the Tiger defense rank third nationally in total defense. LSU finished the year with a Sugar Bowl victory over Notre Dame.

Joseph began his coaching career in the Louisiana high school ranks, working as an assistant coach at two New Orleans area schools. He worked at Archbishop Shaw from 1999-2002 and at Destrehan High School from 2003-05.

Joseph earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing/business administration from Northwestern State in 1996. He was a baseball standout at the school, and is one of only 12 players in Southland Conference history to earn first-team all-conference honors three straight seasons. Joseph, who was named the 1995 Southland Conference and Louisiana Player of the Year, twice earned Academic All-America honors (1993, 1995). He helped the Demons capture three straight SLC championships and held 10 different school records when his collegiate career ended.

Joseph was a 13th-round Major League Baseball Draft choice of the Chicago Cubs and played four seasons in the minor leagues with the Cubs and San Diego Padres.

Joseph comes from a football coaching family as his cousin Vance Joseph is the head coach for the Denver Broncos, and another cousin, Mickey Joseph, is the wide receiver coach at LSU.

A native of New Orleans, Joseph’s family includes his wife, Amanda, and daughters Taylor and Lynleigh.

The Joseph File

Hometown New Orleans, Louisiana
College Northwestern State (B.A., Marketing/Business Administration, 1996)
Wife Amanda
Children Taylor and Lynleigh

Playing Career

1992-95 Northwestern State Baseball
1995 Williamsport (Class A) Chicago Cubs
1996 Rockford (Class A-Advanced) Chicago Cubs
1997 Orlando (Double-A) Chicago Cubs
1998 West Tennessee (Double-A) Chicago Cubs
1998 Mobile (Double-A) San Diego Padres
1998 Rancho Cucamonga (Class A-Advanced) San Diego Padres

Coaching Career

1999 Archbishop Shaw H.S. Special Teams Coordinator/Secondary
2000 Archbishop Shaw H.S. Special Teams Coordinator/Secondary
2001 Archbishop Shaw H.S. Special Teams Coordinator/Secondary
2002 Archbishop Shaw H.S. Special Teams Coordinator/Secondary
2003 Destrehan H.S. Defensive Coordinator
2004 Destrehan H.S. Defensive Coordinator
2005 Destrehan H.S. Defensive Coordinator
2006 LSU Defensive Graduate Assistant
2007 Louisiana Tech Recruiting Coordinator/Secondary
2008 Louisiana Tech Recruiting Coordinator/Secondary
2009 Louisiana Tech Recruiting Coordinator/Secondary
2010 Tennessee Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Backs
2011 Tennessee Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Backs
2012 Nebraska Secondary
2013 Nebraska Secondary
2014 Texas A&M Defensive Backs
2015 Texas A&M Defensive Backs
2016 Texas A&M Defensive Backs
2017 North Carolina Defensive Backs

Bowls/Playoffs Coached

2006 Sugar Bowl
2008 Independence Bowl
2010 Music City Bowl
2012 Capital One Bowl
2013 Gator Bowl
2014 Liberty Bowl
2015 Music City Bowl
2016 Texas Bowl