UNLV to hire Georgia State's Tony Samuel as defensive line coach
Georgia State defensive line coach Tony Samuel will fill the same position for UNLV coach Tony Sanchez, according to sources.
This past season was Samuel’s first in his position at Georgia State, which was much better defensively (improving from 43.3 points allowed per game in 2014 to 28.3 in ’15) in part because of its improved defensive line. He replaces former UNLV defensive line coach Joe Seumalo, who left earlier this week for the same position at Arizona State.
Prior to Samuel’s lone season with Georgia State, he was out of coaching for a year after being let go at Southeast Missouri State following the 2013 season. He had a 31–60 record at the FCS school with one playoff appearance in eight years.
The 60-year-old Samuel was also let go at New Mexico State after the 2004 season following a 34–57 mark in eight seasons.
Between Samuel’s two stints as a head coach, he was Purdue’s defensive ends coach in 2005. He also coached defensive ends and outside linebackers at his alma mater, Nebraska, from 1986–96, tutoring six first-team All-America honorees and a dozen future NFL players, including four first-round picks. Before working for the Cornhuskers, he was defensive line coach at Stanford for two seasons and also coached the same position at Western Michigan from ’82–83.
A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Samuel was a defensive end at Nebraska from 1974–77.
UNLV had a 3–9 record this past season in Sanchez’s inaugural campaign, which included four defeats by one score or less.
