Zac Spavital - Football Coach - Texas Tech Red Raiders

Zac Spavital

Title:
Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator

Zac Spavital enters his fourth season as Texas Tech’s linebackers coach in 2018 and first in the role of co-defensive coordinator.

Spavital arrived at Tech alongside defensive coordinator David Gibbs prior to the 2015 season and immediately went to work on a Red Raider defense that has transformed into one of the top turnover-causing units in the country. Tech has twice ranked among the top-25 teams nationally in takeaways in Spavital’s three seasons.

The 2017 campaign was the highlight of Spavital’s tenure as the Red Raiders concluded the year as the Big 12 leader and ranked sixth nationally for forced turnovers. Tech totaled 29 takeaways altogether, including several from Spavital’s main linebacker core of Dakota Allen, Jordyn Brooks and Riko Jeffers.

Tech’s improvements defensive helped the Red Raiders close the season at plus-11 in the turnover margin, which led the Big 12 and ranked 13th among teams nationally. It was the highest turnover margin for Tech since 1997 when the Red Raiders matched the school record with a plus-12 clip. Tech also ended the year ranked fourth in the country for fumble recoveries (15) and eighth for defensive touchdowns (4).

Allen paced Tech with 102 tackles and picked off a pair of passes en route to earning All-Big 12 second team honors in his first season back with the Red Raiders. He became just the fifth Red Raider to garner All-Big 12 first or second team accolades since the conference was formed in 1996.

In addition to Allen, Brooks was third on the team with 89 tackles, while Jeffers, as just a true freshman, posted 22 tackles and a fumble recovery. The trio of Allen, Brooks and Jeffers are expected to form one of the Big 12’s top linebacker units heading into the 2018 season.

Brooks led the Red Raiders with a team-high 86 tackles during Spavital’s second season in 2016, becoming the first Red Raider freshman during the Big 12 era to lead the team in tackles. Brooks, who led all Big 12 freshmen in total tackles and tackles per game (7.2), garnered All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades as well as True Freshmen All-America Team honors by 247Sports. He finished fifth among freshmen nationally in solo tackles per game (5.1).

Tech forced 25 turnovers during Spavital’s first season in 2015 as the Red Raiders went from a minus-13 in the turnover margin during the season prior to Gibbs and Spavital’s arrival to a plus-2 advantage.

The Red Raiders concluded Spavital’s inaugural season with a 7-6 overall record after an appearance in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl. Spavital has now been part of nine bowl appearances since he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Oklahoma in 2005. Tech also made a postseason appearance in 2017 at the Birmingham Bowl.

Spavital has worked alongside Gibbs in each of the past five years as the duo arrived at Tech following two seasons together at the University of Houston. Spavital spent seven seasons at Houston prior to joining the Red Raider staff in January 2015. He coached defensive backs for the Cougars while also serving as recruiting coordinator under both Kevin Sumlin and Tony Levine.

Spavital, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, coached an all-conference performer in each of his final three seasons at Houston. Adrian McDonald and William Jackson both earned all-conference honors in 2014 after McDonald totaled five interceptions and three fumble recoveries to garner first-team accolades while Jackson was named to the second team.

The Cougars closed Spavital’s final season in Houston ranked 19th nationally in total defense (334.6 yards per game), 11 in scoring defense (19.5) and ninth in turnovers gained (30). Houston also had success in stopping the run, allowing just 136.3 yards per game which ranked 31st nationally.

Houston led the nation with 43 turnovers during the 2013 season to help lead the Cougars to a nation’s best plus-25 turnover margin. Spavital’s defensive backs unit accounted for 29 of Houston’s 43 turnovers that season as Trevon Stewart set a Houston record with six fumble recoveries while Adrian McDonald led The American with six interceptions. Steward and cornerback Zach McMillian, who also had five interceptions, were both named to the American’s second team.

In 2012, Spavital’s unit produced three players with Conference USA honors as D.J. Hayden was named a first-team selection, Stewart was named to league’s freshman team and McMillian earned C-USA honorable mention honors. In addition, Stewart was named to the FWAA Freshman All-America team as he led all freshmen nationally with 126 tackles. McMillian led Conference USA with five interceptions while Hayden was second with four. In all, Spavital’s group accounted for 14 interceptions.

Under Spavital’s leadership, Hayden became the first Houston player selected in the NFL Draft’s first round since 1997 when he was selected 12th overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2013.

Houston’s defense was vastly improved in 2011 and ranked third nationally with 21 interceptions. Hayden was named Conference USA Defensive Newcomer of the Year and was a second team All-C-USA pick. Overall the secondary allowed 16 yards less per game through the air despite breaking in three new starters and allowed two less touchdown passes in two more games played.

During the 2010 season, Spavital narrowed his focus to tutoring the safety position and aided a foursome of defenders who accounted for 213 tackles, four interceptions, 3.5 tackles for loss and eight passes broken up.

The Cougars recorded 11 interceptions in 2009 with cornerbacks Jamal Robinson and Brandon Brinkley finishing first and second on the team. Brinkley posted four pickoffs for 108 yards on the way to being named to the All-Conference USA second team. Robinson etched his name into Cougar lore with a 26-yard return for touchdown at No. 5/6 Oklahoma State that sealed the win for the Cougars. Brinkley finished his career ranked among the Cougars’ all-time career leaders in interceptions, games played and pass breakups.

During Spavital’s first season with the Cougars in 2008, Houston defensive backs picked off 13 passes with the four interceptions by Brinkley and Loyce Means topping all players.

Prior to Houston, Spavital spent three seasons as the defensive graduate assistant on Bob Stoops’ staff at Oklahoma where he worked closely with the defensive backfield and the scout team. During that time, Spavital helped lead the Sooners to a pair of Big 12 titles and two appearances in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Statistically, in each of his three seasons at OU, the Sooners’ defense ranked at the top of the Big 12 and among the elite units in the country for total defense. Oklahoma never finished outside of the top two in total defense in the Big 12, leading the league in both 2005 and 2006 while ranking second in 2007. Nationally, the Sooners ranked 13th in total defense in 2005, 16th in 2006 and 26th in 2007.

During his stay in Norman, Spavital helped coach six players who earned All-Big 12 honors and five players who went on to sign NFL contracts, including 2007 third-round NFL Draft pick Reggie Smith.

Before joining the coaching profession, Spavital played football at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M for two seasons before transferring to Murray State in Kentucky where he played for two years. He was an All-Conference and All-Region selection and was named a Gridwire Scholar All-American.

Spavital graduated from Murray State in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He and his wife, Catherine, reside in Lubbock with their two children, Leah and Hayden.

COACHING HISTORY
2018-Present: Texas Tech Co-Defensive Coordinator (linebackers)
2016-17: Texas Tech Assistant Coach (linebackers/recruiting coordinator)
2015: Texas Tech Assistant Coach (linebackers)
2011-14: Houston Assistant Coach (defensive backs/recruiting coordinator)
2008-10: Houston Assistant Coach (defensive backs)
2005-07: Oklahoma Graduate Assistant (defensive backs/scout team)