Football
- Title:
- Defensive Graduate Assistant
Kirby Ennis completed his third season as a defensive graduate assistant at Texas Tech in 2022 where he works primarily with the Red Raider defensive line. This is Ennis’ first coaching position at the collegiate level after transitioning from the high school ranks.
In his three seasons, Ennis has helped mentor a defensive line that has turned into one of Texas Tech’s strengths, namely due to the play of the interior line in Tony Bradford Jr. and Jaylon Hutchings. According to Pro Football Focus, Bradford and Hutchings were the only pair of power-five interior linemen to create 30 or more quarterback pressures each during the 2022 season.
Both Bradford and Hutchings were honorable mention All-Big 12 selections following a memorable 2022 season where Texas Tech finished 8-5 overall and 5-4 in Big 12 play. It marked the second All-Big 12 recognition in each of their respective careers as Hutchings was also awarded following the 2021 campaign with Bradford honored as a sophomore in 2020.
Texas Tech capped the 2022 season with a 42-25 victory over Ole Miss in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, which pushed the Red Raiders to their first eight-win campaign since 2013. The Red Raiders ended the season with four-consecutive victories for the first time since 1995, one of several historic feats for Texas Tech, which recorded its most Big 12 wins since 2009 and defeated both Texas and Oklahoma in the same year for the first time in program history.
The victory over Ole Miss was one of two bowl victories for the Red Raiders during Ennis’ tenure as Texas Tech previously downed Mississippi State in the 2021 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The Red Raider defense was greatly improved in each of those two seasons as Texas Tech allowed only 136.8 rushing yards per game in 2021, its lowest clip since 2009, and then surrendered only 29.2 points per game in 2022, its lowest average since that same 2009 season.
Prior to his arrival at Texas Tech, Ennis spent three years at North Forney High School where he served as a special education teacher and defensive line coach. He previously served in a similar capacity at Athens High School for two years.
A Texas A&M University graduate, Ennis played five seasons for the Aggies (2009-2014) in which he played nose guard and anchored the Aggies defensive unit. Ennis, who totaled over 53 tackles in his career as an Aggie, was a 2013 Preseason All-SEC selection according to TideFans.com/NARCAS.
Ennis earned his undergraduate degree in sport management and masters in health education at Texas A&M. He was an Academic Excellence Award recipient and a SEC Honor Roll selection in 2014.
Ennis, a native of Huntsville, Texas, is married to Courtney Ennis. They are the parents of son, Kirby Ennis Jr.
