Cody Deti begins his 15th season with the Illinois State football coaching staff in 2025 and will continue to oversee the Redbird secondary.
The Redbird defense finished year fifth in the league in defensive efficiency at 135.7 in 2024, and All-American safety Keondre Jackson who was selected to participate in the Hula Bowl and the Reese's Senior Bowl after earning All-MVFC First Team honors. Jackson ranked third on the team with 99 total tackles, was sixth in the MVFC tackles and was also credited with 1.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and three interceptions on the year.
Deti's charges were key to the success of the Redbird defense in 2019. Led by All-American safety Luther Kirk and All-MVFC First Team standout Devin Taylor, the Redbird secondary t ranked No. 3 in the country in passes intercepted with 19 and No. 11 in pass efficiency defense. Their performances in the defensive backfield also aided in a team-record 52 sacks on the year and a No. 11 rank in total defense.
During the 2018 season, Deti's secondary helped the Redbirds post the second-best scoring defensive in the MVFC (20.0) and the second-best total defense (309.8 ypg) behind eventual national champion North Dakota State. Safety Luther Kirk (1st team) and cornerback Devin Taylor (2nd team) both earned All-MVFC honors, as ISU fielded one of the better defensive back units in the league.
During his time working with the Redbird defensive backs, Deti helped safety Ben Ericksen earn All-America honors and Mike Banks and Dontae McCoy become All-MVFC selections. His most recent success was Davontae Harris, who was named a first-team All-American and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ericksen was named a Third-Team All-America selection by The Sports Network and the Associated Press and selected to the College Sporting News 2012 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team. That same season, Ericksen earned All-MVFC First-Team honors, after he finished the season ranked No. 4 in the country in interceptions per game and led the MVFC with seven.
In 2014, Banks ended his illustrious career with the Redbirds and is one of the most durable players in ISU history, having started every game of his career (50 total). He earned All-MVFC Second-Team honors as a cornerback and finished his career with the third-most passes defended in ISU history (46).
While Banks patrolled the cornerback position, senior captain Dontae McCoy anchored the Redbird defense from the safety spot. McCoy earned All-MVFC Honorable Mention honors, after recording 67 tackles and breaking up four passes in his final season at ISU in 2014.
Deti helped the Redbird secondary improve dramatically in his first season with ISU in 2011. The Redbird defense was ranked No. 9 in the country, after finishing No. 112 the previous year, and the Redbird secondary improved 22 spots on the national list in pass efficiency defense.
Much of that was due to the leadership of senior Otis Merrill and the emergence of Banks. Merrill was an All-MVFC Second Team selection at defensive back, after starting the final 10 games of the season and recording 41 tackles and an interception. Banks started all 11 games as a true freshman and was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team at defensive back.
Deti came to Illinois State after serving as the defensive coordinator for head coach Scott Downing for five seasons at Northern Colorado, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program out of the Big Sky Conference.
Deti’s defense improved every season, as the 2009 team allowed 20 yards less per game than 2008 and the 2008 team allowed almost 100 yards less per game than 2007. Prior to his stint at Northern Colorado, Deti spent three seasons on head coach Danny Hope’s staff at Eastern Kentucky, where he worked with the defensive secondary and helped the Colonels to a 7-4 record and 7-1 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2005.
Prior to coaching at Eastern Kentucky, Deti spent three seasons at Princeton. He joined the Tigers staff in 2000, serving as the defensive assistant. In 2001, he moved to the offensive side of the ball, coaching tight ends, and spent his final season at Princeton as the wide receivers coach.
From 1997-99, Deti was a graduate assistant coach at Purdue, where he coached alongside Brock Spack who served as the team’s defensive coordinator. In his time with the Boilermakers, the team made two appearances in the Alamo Bowl and one in the Outback Bowl.
Deti played defensive back at Wyoming (1992-93), while Downing was the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, before his career was cut short by an injury. He stayed active with the program by serving as a student assistant coach from 1994-96 and was part of the 1996 WAC Championship squad. Deti comes from a long line of football coaches, as his grandfather John was the head coach at Laramie High School for 33 years and his father John was the head coach at Laramie for 26 years.
Deti earned his bachelor’s degree in health science from Wyoming in 1997 and his master’s degree in history and philosophy of sport from Purdue in 1999.
He resides in Normal, Ill., with his wife, Megan, and their children, Samuel, Maddisyn and Emma.
