Football
- Title:
- Defensive Graduate Assistant
Will Harriger begins his second season at Texas Tech and his first as the defensive graduate assistant under new defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow.
Harriger joined the Red Raider football program as a defensive staff assistant in the spring of 2010 when Tommy Tuberville took over as head coach. Harriger moves into his first coaching role with the Red Raiders after taking over as the graduate assistant during 2011 spring practice. His first official coaching role at Texas Tech came in the 2010 TicketCity Bowl when he was named interim linebackers coach.
Harriger will coach inside linebackers during the 2011 season.
Prior to arriving at Texas Tech, Harriger spent the 2009 season as the linebackers coach at the University of Tennessee-Martin. While at UT-Martin, Harriger coached all three of the Skyhawk linebackers which included First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection Josh Bey.
Harriger is making his second stop in the Big 12 Conference, having spent the 2008 season at the University of Texas under then defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. At Texas, he served the Longhorn football program in the role of defensive quality control (linebackers) and was part of a team that ended the season ranked No. 3 (Coaches) and No. 4 (AP) in the country. That Texas team ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 3 in the nation in rush defense, No. 1 in the Big 12 in total defense and No. 1 in the Big 12 in scoring defense.
A chance to coach at his alma mater, led Harriger to Auburn in 2007 where he served under Muschamp and Tuberville. The Tigers wrapped up the season with a No. 14/15 national ranking and ranked second in the SEC in both total defense and pass defense. The Tigers ranked first in the league in scoring defense as they allowed just 16.2 points per game.
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls in 2004 before making the first of two stops at UT-Martin (graduate assistant).
Harriger earned his degree in communications from Auburn in 2004.
