| John Papuchis | |
|---|---|
| Sport(s) | College football |
| Current position | |
| Title | Defensive Coordinator |
| Team | Nebraska |
| Conference | Big 10 |
| Annual salary | $220,000[1] |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 23, 1978 |
| Place of birth | Gaithersburg, Maryland |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2001–2003 2004–2007 2008–2010 2011–present |
Kansas (GA) LSU (Intern/GA) Nebraska (DE/ST) Nebraska (DE/ST/RC) |
John Papuchis (born April 23, 1978) is the Defensive Coordinator for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.
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John Papuchis was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He graduated from Quince Orchard High School in 1996, where he was a three-sport athlete, including three years on the Varsity baseball team where he earned All-Montgomery County honors as a junior and senior. He also was the starting quarterback his senior year on the QO football team.
Papuchis received a Business Management Bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech in 2001, followed by a Sports Administration Master's degree from the University of Kansas in 2003.[2]
Following his graduation from Virginia Tech in 2001, Papuchis began his coaching career at the University of Kansas under Head Coach Terry Allen as a Graduate Assistant, working with the Kansas Jayhawks defensive unit, while continuing his studies towards his Master's degree. In his final year at Kansas, he helped the Jayhawks reach the 2003 Tangerine Bowl, which ended Kansas' seven-year drought of bowl appearances.
In 2004, Papuchis accepted a similar position at Louisiana State University, as a Defensive Intern and Graduate Assistant under Head Coach Nick Saban, with additional duties coaching the punters. The following year, with Les Miles taking over for the departed Nick Saban, Bo Pelini joined LSU as Defensive Coordinator. Papuchis remained on the LSU staff under Pelini, and the LSU defense helped the Tigers to a final #6 ranking in both major polls. 2006 saw further improvement, as the LSU defensive unit finished in the top ten nationally in four major defensive categories, and a final #3 ranking on both polls. 2007 was a pinnacle year for LSU as the defense helped the Tigers to win the 2008 BCS National Championship Game. In all, the Pelini years at LSU resulted in the Tigers defense being ranked third nationally from 2005-2007.
Just prior to LSU's 2007 season national championship, Pelini was hired as the new Head Coach for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. Pelini stayed on at LSU through the championship game with the permission of Nebraska's Athletic Director, Tom Osborne, and then took several of his defensive staff members with him to Nebraska, including Papuchis.
The 2008 season saw a dramatic turnaround in Nebraska's fortunes, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, as Nebraska climbed from the bottom ten defensive teams nationally and a dismal 5-7 record, to a resurgence of the Nebraska Blackshirt tradition as a surprisingly stingy Nebraska defense helped the Cornhuskers to a 9-4 2008 season, a tie for the Big 12 Conference northern division championship, and a post-January 1 bowl victory against Clemson at the 2009 Gator Bowl.
He is in his third season on the Nebraska coaching staff in 2010. Papuchis tutors the Nebraska defensive ends and also serves as special teams coordinator while working with all of the Huskers' special teams units.
In 2009, his defensive ends combined for 127 tackles, including 33 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. With 16 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, senior Barry Turner was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection in 2009, while junior Pierre Allen racked up five sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Nebraska also owned one of the nation's top special teams units in 2009. The Huskers' kickoff and punt return units both ranked in the top 30 nationally, while All-Big 12 punter and place-kicker Alex Henery had an NU record 24 field goals, while also placing a Big 12-leading 30 punts inside the opponent 20-yard line. The Huskers also ranked in the top 15 nationally in kickoff return defense and third in touchbacks. Henery enters his senior season in 2010 in a position to challenge NU's career records for scoring, field goals and field-goal accuracy.
Along with Henery, Papuchis had another weapon to utilize on special teams in Adi Kunalic. One of the nation's elite kickoff specialists the past three years, Kunalic has ranked among the national leaders in touchbacks for each season, posting 86 career touchbacks including 29 in 2009. Kunalic's performance last year helped Nebraska rank 15th nationally in kickoff return defense, the top average in the Big 12.
In his first year in Lincoln, Papuchis saw starting defensive ends Zach Potter and Allen combine for 26 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 2008, with Potter earning honorable-mention All-Big 12 accolades. The defensive ends helped a Nebraska defense that finished second in the Big 12 in total defense.
The special teams unit had a banner year under Papuchis in 2008, headlined by Henery's school-record 57-yard game-winning field goal against Colorado. Henery finished the year 18-of-21 on field goals and missed just one extra point. Henery was a second-team All-Big 12 pick. The Huskers also ranked in the top 25 nationally in punt returns, and returned both a kickoff and punt for a touchdown in the same season for the first time since 1998.