Former Kentucky Defensive Coordinator DJ Eliot Returns to College Football

Dizzy D.J. Eliot is back on the ones and twos just in time to ring in the New Year. Did anyone ever call him Dizzy D.J.? Not really, but we’ve only got a few hours left in 2024. Let’s get weird.

Eliot was one of the first hires and fires of the Mark Stoops era. A defensive line coach at Florida State, he followed Stoops to Lexington to become the new head coach’s first defensive coordinator.

Eliot spent about 3.5 seasons as the primary defensive play-caller for the Cats. Things got dire halfway through the 2016 season. The offense was playing well, but the defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed. Stoops took over play-calling duties for the back half of the year, which resulted in creating a memorable season finale against Louisville to cap off a 7-5 campaign and punch a ticket to the Gator Bowl.

A brief aside: two unusual things happened during his time as defensive coordinator. A fan mailed a bag of phallic candy to his house. That was weird. There was also a very awkward post-practice media conversation between Eliot and Jeff Drummond. Kentucky was transitioning from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 and JD was asking DJ to talk about the nuances that come with the transition. Eliot didn’t get the question. “My 4-year-old could tell you the difference.” Jeff tried asking him in a different way three different times, but nothing worked. That was something else.

Anyways, back to the serious journalism. After Eliot was fired, he spent two seasons at Colorado, then served as Les Miles’ defensive coordinator for two years. Eliot was last in college at Temple in 2022.

Over the last two seasons, Eliot has been the linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Even though the Birds are a legitimate Super Bowl contender, Eliot is ready to return to the college ranks. According to Pete Thamel, Dave Doeren has hired him to be NC State’s next defensive coordinator. Doeren just wrapped up his 12th season in Raleigh with a 6-7 record.

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.