Jovan Dewitt facts for kids
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Defensive coordinator |
| Team | FIU |
| Conference | C-USA |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | October 21, 1975 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1993–1996 | Northern Michigan |
| 1997 | Iowa Barnstormers |
| 1998 | Orlando Predators |
| 1999 | Fargo Freeze |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1997 | Northern Michigan (SA) |
| 2000–2001 | Northern Michigan (GA) |
| 2002 | Fort Scott (STC/RB) |
| 2003 | Fairmont State (STC/RB) |
| 2004–2005 | Northern Michigan (DC) |
| 2006–2008 | St. Norbert (DC) |
| 2009–2010 | Northern Iowa (LB) |
| 2011 | Northern Iowa (DC/LB) |
| 2012–2013 | Florida Atlantic (LB) |
| 2014–2015 | Army (STC/OLB) |
| 2016–2017 | UCF (AHC/STC/LB) |
| 2018–2019 | Nebraska (STC/OLB) |
| 2020–2021 | North Carolina (STC/OLB) |
| 2022–present | FIU (DC) |
Jovan Dewitt (born October 21, 1975) is an American football coach. He used to be a great player himself. Today, he is the defensive coordinator for the FIU team. Throughout his coaching career, Dewitt has mostly focused on leading special teams or defenses.
Contents
Coaching Career Highlights
Starting Out as a Coach
After playing college football, Jovan Dewitt started coaching. He worked as a student assistant at Northern Michigan. He helped coach the defensive line. Later, he returned to Northern Michigan as a graduate assistant. He coached the running backs in 2000 and 2001.
In 2002 and 2003, Dewitt coached special teams and running backs. He worked at Fort Scott Community College. Then he moved to Fairmont State.
Leading Defenses
In 2004, Dewitt went back to his old college, Northern Michigan. He became the defensive coordinator for two seasons. After that, he was the defensive coordinator at St. Norbert. He stayed there for three seasons, from 2006 to 2008.
Coaching at Northern Iowa
In 2009, Dewitt joined Northern Iowa. He became the linebackers coach. He coached a famous player named LJ Fort. Fort was named the best defensive player in his league in 2011. He then played in the NFL for over 10 years. Dewitt was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2011.
Time at Florida Atlantic
Dewitt moved to Florida Atlantic in 2012. He coached the linebackers there. In the middle of the 2013 season, he became the interim defensive coordinator. This meant he led the defense for the last four games.
Success with Army
From 2014 to 2015, Dewitt coached at Army. He was in charge of special teams and outside linebackers. He helped the team improve a lot. They went from winning two games to winning eight games in one season. His special teams units were very good. They blocked seven kicks, including two punts that led to touchdowns.
Winning Big at UCF
In 2016, Dewitt joined UCF. He coached special teams and outside linebackers. He helped UCF have a perfect season in 2017. They won their conference championship. He also coached Shaquem Griffin, a very talented player. Griffin was chosen as the best player in his conference. He later joined the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. Dewitt was promoted to associate head coach before the 2017 season.
Challenges at Nebraska
Dewitt moved to Nebraska in 2018. He continued to coach special teams and outside linebackers. He helped linebacker Luke Gifford have a great year. Gifford had the most sacks by a Nebraska linebacker in 13 years. The team's special teams were also strong.
During his time at Nebraska, Dewitt faced a big health challenge. He battled throat cancer in 2019. He went through many treatments. He lost a lot of weight and temporarily lost the ability to produce saliva. Even during his treatments, he kept watching game films. He also stayed in touch with his coaches and players. He showed great strength and dedication.
Coaching at North Carolina
Before the 2020 season, Dewitt joined North Carolina. He coached special teams and outside linebackers. His linebackers helped the team get 36 sacks in 2020. This was the most sacks since 2000. The punt return team was also very good.
Current Role at FIU
In January 2022, Dewitt became the defensive coordinator at FIU. He joined the team under the new head coach, Mike MacIntyre.
New Ideas for Recruiting
Jovan Dewitt is also known for being creative. He made his own app to help with recruiting players. This app helps coaches keep track of player information. It has features like notes, voice recordings, and video clips. He got the idea from a job he had outside of coaching. He used to be a mortgage broker and liked how he could track his clients.
Playing Career
Jovan Dewitt was a talented football player in college. He played for Northern Michigan from 1993 to 1996. He was named an All-American player twice. In 1996, he was named the Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
After college, Dewitt played professional football for three seasons. He played in the Arena Football League. He was with the Iowa Barnstormers in 1997. Then he played for the Orlando Predators in 1998. His last professional team was the Fargo Freeze in 1999.
Personal Life
Jovan Dewitt is married to Lisa. They have three children together. Their daughters are Maya and Kira. Their son is named Jovan, Jr.
Dewitt studied mathematics and physics in college. He even turned down a job offer from NASA after graduating. He chose to follow his passion for coaching football instead.
