Baylor head coach Matt Rhule announced five new members of his football staff Wednesday; Phil Snow, Elijah Robinson, Matt Lubick, Jeff Nixon and George DeLeone.
Three of the five new additions – DeLeone, Nixon and Snow – bring vast experience coaching at the NFL level to Baylor. The quintet also includes three coming from Rhule’s staff at Temple (where they led TU to the 2016 AAC Championship), and a fourth, Nixon, has previous experience on the Owls’ staff.
The new hires join seven staffers previously announced to the Baylor program, that include Shawn Bell, Francis Brown, Evan Cooper, Joey McGuire, Sean Padden, Mike Siravo and David Wetzel. Job titles and responsibilities for the staff will be announced at a later date.
Snow is a coaching veteran with four decades experience in the NFL and collegiate level. He coached four seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, and has 34 years of collegiate experience. Snow served as defensive coordinator at seven previous schools, among them UCLA, Washington, Arizona State and Boise State.
He spent four seasons at Temple under Rhule, and his squad led the AAC in defense in each of the last two seasons (including a 2016 D that ranked third nationally in total yards and 11th in scoring). Snow is a 1978 graduate of Cal-State Hayward. He and wife Debra are the parents of two sons, Phillip (a golf letterman at Nevada) and Jacob.
Robinson spent three seasons on Rhule’s staff at Temple coaching the defensive line, the final year with the title of defensive run game coordinator. He mentored six All-AAC selections at Temple, and in 2016 the Owls’ rush defense ranked 26th nationally, allowing just 130.8 yards per game.
Prior to Temple, Robinson spent five seasons at his alma mater, Penn State, the final two (2012 and 2013) as director of community relations and NFL liaison. He spent two seasons (2010-11) as defensive graduate assistant working with the D-line and one (2009) with academics. Robinson’s playing career with the Nittany Lions (2004-07) was cut short due to a neck injury and he earned both his undergraduate (2008) and master’s (2012) degrees from PSU.
Lubick comes to Waco with 21 years of collegiate coaching experience, most recently serving as Oregon’s offensive coordinator for the 2016 season. His Ducks offense ranked 15th nationally in total offense last season, averaging 491.7 yards per game, and were second in the Pac-12 in both rushing and pass efficiency.
A talented recruiter, Lubick has coordinated recruiting at four previous schools, including Oregon State, Colorado State, Arizona State and Duke. Previous to Oregon, Lubick spent three years at Duke, and in his final season in 2012 was named a finalist for the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year award and earned the FootballScoop Wide Receivers Coach of the Year honor.
Lubick is a former NAIA All-America defensive back and the son of former long-time Colorado State head coach Sonny Lubick. He is a 1995 graduate of CSU.
Nixon is a veteran offensive coach with 10 years of NFL experience. He coached alongside Rhule on the 2006 Temple staff. Nixon joins the Baylor staff after a one-year stint as tight ends coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He spent the previous decade coaching at the professional level with the 49ers, Dolphins (2011-2015) and Eagles (2007-2010).
He has coached running backs at the collegiate level at UT-Chattanooga, Shippensburg, Princeton and his alma mater Penn State. Nixon played running back at PSU in 1995 and 1996 after transferring from West Virginia. He earned a master’s degree in education administration from Shippensburg in 2003. Nixon and his wife Laura have four children, William, twin daughters Faith and Hope, and Jasmine.
DeLeone is a 47-year coaching veteran who spent the 2016 season on Rhule’s staff at Temple, and the two had previously worked together on the 2006 and 2007 TU staffs. In addition to six years in the NFL, DeLeone has spent 41 seasons in the college game and coached in 14 bowl games.
His previous coaching experience includes NFL stints with the Browns (2014-2015), Dolphins (2008-2010) and Chargers (1997). Collegiately, DeLeone has coached three seasons as head coach at Southern Connecticut (1976-1979) as well as offensive coordinator experience at four universities (UConn, Syracuse, Holy Cross and Rutgers) and defensive coordinator stints at two (Syracuse and Rutgers). He is a 1970 graduate of UConn and earned a master’s degree in physical education from Southern Connecticut in 1971. He is the father of two sons, Andy and Mark, and is married to the former Barbara Tringali.
