Tyrone Nix facts for kids

Tyrone Nix (born September 30, 1972) is an American football coach. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the Tarleton State Texans. Nix has also been a defensive coordinator for other college teams. These include Middle Tennessee, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Southern Miss. He is the brother of Derrick Nix, who is also a football coach.

Playing Career Highlights

Tyrone Nix was a talented linebacker in college. After high school in Attalla, Alabama, he played for the University of Southern Mississippi. He played from 1990 to 1993. In 1993, his teammates chose him as the Golden Eagle team captain.

As a freshman, Nix was one of only three first-year players to compete in the 1990 All-American Bowl. He was also named to the All-South team. This honor was given to him as both a junior and a senior. He was also part of the National Independent team during those years. In 1991, Nix joined the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

Coaching Career Journey

Tyrone Nix has had a long and successful career as a football coach. He has worked with many college teams.

Coaching at Southern Miss

In 2001, Nix became the defensive coordinator at Southern Miss. He was only 29 years old at the time. This made him the youngest coordinator in Division I-A football. By 2003, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award. This award recognizes the best assistant coaches in the nation.

Nix quickly made a big impact as defensive coordinator. In 2001, his defense was ranked 8th in the nation for points allowed. It was also 11th in the nation for total yards allowed. This was impressive because the team had lost seven starting players from the year before. For his first three years at Southern Miss, Coach Nix's defenses consistently ranked among the top 15 nationally.

Coaching at South Carolina

Coach Nix started working at South Carolina in 2005. He was a co-defensive coordinator. He shared this role with John Thompson. Later that season, Head Coach Steve Spurrier was impressed by Nix's coaching. He promoted Nix to be the sole defensive coordinator. He also became an assistant head coach.

Before Nix took over fully, the team was giving up more than 27 points per game. After his promotion, the defense improved greatly. Under Coach Nix's guidance, opponents scored only 17 points per game. The team also earned important wins. They beat the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee. These wins had not happened in over 20 years.

Coaching at Ole Miss

On December 11, 2007, Nix accepted a job at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). He became the defensive coordinator there. He worked under the new head coach, Houston Nutt.

During the 2008 season, Nix's Ole Miss defense was one of the best in the country. They ranked 14th in the FBS for points allowed per game. They were also 16th for yards allowed per game. The team finished the season with an 8-4 record. They also won the Cotton Bowl against Texas Tech. After the 2009 season, Houston Nutt promoted Nix. He became the assistant head coach. Nix left Ole Miss in December 2011.

Coaching at Middle Tennessee

On February 22, 2012, Nix became the co-defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State. He worked under Coach Rick Stockstill. He stayed with Middle Tennessee until December 2016.

Coaching at Texas A&M

In 2017, Nix worked as a senior defensive analyst for the Texas A&M Aggies. In this role, he helped the defensive coaching staff.

Coaching at UTSA

On February 3, 2020, Nix was named defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the UTSA Roadrunners. He was placed on leave on November 14, 2020. He was not retained by the university after an investigation.

Coaching at Tarleton State

Since 2022, Tyrone Nix has been the defensive coordinator for the Tarleton State Texans. He continues to coach and lead the defense for the team.