Redbird Football Adds Rob Snyder As New Defensive Line Coach

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State football head coach Brock Spack has filled a vacancy on his coaching staff, as he announced the addition of assistant coach Rob Snyder as the program's new defensive line coach.

"Rob has spent time in the Valley and coached at a high level in the FCS," Spack stated. "He learned from one of the top defensive line coaches in the country in Pete Jenkins while at LSU and knows how to get the best out of his players. He's got all the traits you want in a defensive line coach and within the first five minutes of his interview, I knew he would be a good fit for our program. We are excited for him to join the staff and look forward to seeing what he can do with our defensive front."

Snyder comes to Illinois State after spending the past two seasons at Nicholls State working with the Colonels' defensive line.

"Evon and I are extremely grateful to Coach Spack and Coach Niekamp for the opportunity to be a Redbird," Snyder said. "We are excited to be a part of the Illinois State community and eager to get to work."

Last season, the Colonels ranked as the No. 33 total defense in the country thanks to a pass rush that helped the program rank ninth nationally in passing yards allowed. The Colonels were also strong in taking the ball away, ranking No. 17 in turnovers gained in the FCS. 

In his first year in 2024, the Colonel defense ranked fourth in the FCS in rushing yards allowed with a school record 83.9 yards per game. Nicholls also surrendered just six rushing touchdowns for the season which was the fewest allowed in the FCS. The line had a pair of first-team All-Southland selections as Zack Bernard and Rasheed Lovelace were two of four defensive honorees for the Colonels.

Prior to joining the coaching staff at Nicholls, Snyder served in the same role in the Missouri Valley Football Conference at South Dakota for the 2023 season. Previously, Snyder spent time as a walk-on and student coach at LSU before graduating in 2015 and was a defensive analyst for the Tigers from 2016-18. He worked directly with defensive line coach Pete Jenkins and special teams coach Bradley Dale Peveto. Snyder assisted a defense that ranked fifth nationally in 2016 and won the Citrus Bowl over Louisville.
 
Snyder later joined the staff at Missouri in 2019 and was responsible for coaching all phases of the defensive line, particularly the defensive ends. In 2021, he returned to Louisiana to serve as defensive coordinator for Holy Cross in New Orleans and then spent the 2022 season as defensive line coach and coordinator at Jesuit.
 
Snyder and his wife, Evon, have two rescue dogs, Junior and Chip.

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