Baylor football loses DC Matt Powledge to a Texas school

The exodus both on the field and on the sidelines is continuing for the Bears.

A week after Dave Aranda lost his defensive line coach, Baylor defensive coordinator Matt Powledge is set to leave Waco to become the defensive coordinator at North Texas under newly hired head coach Neal Brown.

The move, first reported by CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, comes during another period of transition for Baylor, and it is the first staff departure since the university officially named Doug McNamee as its new athletic director earlier this week. Powledge completed two seasons as Baylor’s defensive coordinator after returning from a one-year stint at Oregon in 2022, where he served as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach under Dan Lanning.

The Huntsville, Texas native was an all-conference fullback at Sam Houston State from 2005-2009. Powledge began his career with FCS stops at Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State before moving into full-time FBS roles at Louisiana, where he worked with tight ends and coordinated special teams. He was apart of former Florida and current James Madison head coach Billy Napier’s staff at Louisiana as outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator, helping the Cajuns post consecutive double-digit win seasons.

He arrived at Baylor for the first time in 2020 as safeties and special teams coordinator under Dave Aranda. During the 2021 season, Baylor finished fifth nationally in interceptions, 14th in scoring defense, and held opponents 13.1 points below their season average. Powledge worked
directly with current Texans safety Jalen Pitre, who was the 2021 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Powledge returned to Baylor in December 2022 as defensive coordinator. Baylor's defense was one of the worst power conference units in the country last season, ranking near the bottom of the Big 12 and FBS in terms of points allowed, surrendering an average of almost 35 points a game, while also giving up an average of over 400 yards per contest.

North Texas recently hired Brown, the former West Virginia head coach and most recently an assistant at Texas. Powledge becomes one of the first major additions to Brown’s new staff as the Mean Green work to overhaul their defensive performance.

Baylor will now begin its search for a replacement as the program continues adjusting under McNamee’s leadership and amid ongoing questions about the future direction of the football staff.

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