Mike Dawson

Bio

Mike Dawson joined the Kansas football staff in February of 2024, serving as an analyst for the Jayhawk defense.

Dawson comes to Kansas with over 20 years of coaching experience, most recently serving as a program assistant at Ohio State. Dawson previously spent a total of four seasons on Nebraska’s coaching staff, coaching Nebraska’s defensive line in 2018, before spending the 2019 season as the outside linebackers coach for the New York Giants. He returned to Lincoln to coach the outside linebackers in 2020 and 2021 and the defensive line/edge rushers in 2022.

Dawson helped build impressive defenses before joining Nebraska, including working with a UCF squad that ranked second nationally in takeaways in 2017 and a Philadelphia Eagles team that ranked second in the NFL in sacks in 2014.

In Dawson’s first year at Nebraska in 2018, his defensive line featured a pair of All-Big Ten performers and helped key a Blackshirts unit that moved up 27 spots in the national scoring defense rankings from the 2017 season. The line helped Nebraska total 25 sacks, 11 more than the Huskers recorded the previous season.

In addition to the pressure created by the defensive line, the unit also helped the Huskers post the ninth-most pass breakups in school history (58). Carlos Davis led the line with five breakups, the most by a Husker defensive lineman since Ndamukong Suh had nine in 2009. Carlos and his twin brother, Khalil, were both all-conference performers in 2018, as Khalil led the defensive line with 41 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.

In 2020, Dawson’s outside linebackers played a key role for a Blackshirt unit that ranked sixth in the Big Ten in total defense, and lowered opponent rushing yards per attempt by more than a half-yard over 2019. Outside linebacker JoJo Domann led the team with 58 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss en route to All-Big Ten honors.

Dawson played a key role in the continued improvement of the Nebraska defense in 2021. Nebraska allowed 22.7 points per game; the fewest points allowed per game by a Husker defense in 11 seasons. The Huskers also allowed their fewest yards per game in five seasons at 366.0 per game.

Individually, Dawson oversaw the continued development of outside linebackers Caleb Tannor and Garrett Nelson. Tannor finished the season with a career-high 5.5 tackles for loss, while Nelson led Nebraska in TFL (10.5) and sacks (5) ranking among the Big Ten leaders in both categories.

In 2022, Dawson coached Nebraska’s defensive line and edge rushers. Nelson again led Nebraska in TFLs (9.0) and sacks (5.5) while former walk-on Colton Feist had a career year in his first season as a starter with 46 tackles and 7.0 tackles for loss. Tannor also set a career high with 43 tackles. On the season, 34.5 of Nebraska’s 60 TFLs came from Dawson’s players as did 15 of the Huskers’ 21 sacks.

Dawson spent the 2019 season coaching the outside linebackers for the New York Giants. Dawson helped Markus Golden have a career year in his fifth year in the league, as Golden totaled a career-high 68 tackles. Golden also had 10.0 sacks – the second-highest total of his career – and scored the first defensive touchdown of his career. Dawson also helped Oshane Ximines record 4.5 sacks in his rookie season.

Dawson spent two seasons at UCF in 2016 and 2017, helping defensive coordinator Erik Chinander turn around the Knights’ defense. UCF improved by more than 12 points per game in scoring defense during Dawson’s tenure, and the defense helped the offense by forcing 58 turnovers and scoring nine defensive touchdowns in his two seasons. UCF ranked third nationally in turnovers forced in Dawson’s two seasons at the school, and his defensive line played a key role in that area by helping the Knights recover 23 fumbles.

In 2017, Dawson’s defensive line helped UCF post the first perfect season in program history and in the history of the American Athletic Conference when UCF finished 13-0 as the nation’s only undefeated team. The Knights ranked third in the league in scoring defense and fourth in rushing defense. Two of his three starting defensive linemen earned all-conference accolades, including Jamiyus Pittman, a member of the Outland Trophy watch list who was an All-AAC performer for the second straight season.

In Dawson’s first season at UCF in 2016, the Knights ranked in the top 10 nationally in four defensive categories and in the top 25 in nine categories. Dawson’s defensive line played a major role in UCF ranking second nationally in red zone defense, sixth in third-down defense, ninth in tackles for loss, 17th in sacks, 18th in turnovers forced and 24th in fumbles recovered. The defense was the key to UCF leading the nation with a six-win improvement from the 2015 to 2016 season.

Dawson was hired at UCF after spending three seasons on Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles staff. Dawson served as a defensive quality control coach in 2013, when the Eagles won the NFC East and ranked third in the NFL with 31 takeaways. He spent the next two seasons as an assistant defensive line coach. In 2014, Dawson helped Philadelphia rank second in the NFL in sacks (49) and fifth in opponent yards per carry (3.7).

Dawson was Boston College’s special teams coach for three seasons from 2009 to 2011. In his first year, kicker Steve Aponavicius set school records for career points, extra points made and field-goal percentage. In his second season with the Eagles, kicker Nate Freese was 22-of-25 on field goals, and he went on to break Aponavicius’ career scoring record. Dawson also coached punter Ryan Quigley, who went on to play six seasons in the NFL.

In his first full-time job at the FBS level, Dawson coached the Akron linebackers for three seasons from 2006 to 2008. With the Zips he tutored all-conference linebacker Brion Stokes, who ended his career with 38.5 tackles for loss, the second-most in school history.

Dawson came to Akron following a six-year stint at New Hampshire from 2000 to 2005. He held three different positions with the Wildcats, coaching the linebackers in 2000 and 2002-03, the offensive line in 2001 and serving as defensive coordinator in 2004 and 2005. In his two seasons leading the defense, New Hampshire posted a 21-5 record and reached the 2005 FCS quarterfinals, when the Wildcats led the country with 45 takeaways.

Dawson’s first coaching stint in the FBS rank came as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh in 1998. Dawson began his coaching career as the defensive line coach in the spring of 1998 for UMass-Lowell before he joined Maine as a defensive assistant for the 1998 season.

Dawson was a three-year starter at linebacker and defensive end from 1995 to 1997 at UMass-Amherst. He served as team captain as a senior in 1997.

Dawson earned his degree in sports management from UMass-Amherst in 1997. He and his wife Jodi have one son, Frankie.

COACHING CAREER

2022: Nebraska, Assistant Coach (Defensive Line/Edge)
2020-21: Nebraska, Assistant Coach (Outside Linebackers)
2019: New York Giants, Assistant Coach (Outside Linebackers)
2018: Nebraska, Assistant Coach (Defensive Line)
2016-17: UCF, Defensive Line
2014-15: Philadelphia Eagles, Assistant Coach (Assistant Defensive Line)
2013: Philadelphia Eagles, Defensive Quality Control
2009-11: Boston College, Assistant Coach (Special Teams)
2006-08: Akron, Assistant Coach (Linebackers)
2004-05: New Hampshire, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2002-03: New Hampshire, Assistant Coach (Linebackers)
2001: New Hampshire, Assistant Coach (Offensive Line)
2000: New Hampshire, Assistant Coach (Linebackers)
1999: Pittsburgh, Graduate Assistant
1998: Maine, Defensive Assistant
1998 (Spring): UMass-Lowell, Assistant Coach (Defensive Line)