Tyrone Nix facts for kids

Tyrone Nix, born on September 30, 1972, is an American football coach. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the Tarleton State Texans. He has also been a defensive coordinator for other college teams like Middle Tennessee, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Southern Miss. Tyrone's brother, Derrick Nix, is also a football coach.

Playing Football

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

Even as a freshman, Tyrone was one of only three first-year players to compete in the 1990 All-American Bowl. He was also recognized as one of the best players in the South and on the National Independent team during his junior and senior years. In 1991, he joined the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Coaching Career

Southern Miss Golden Eagles

In 2001, at just 29 years old, Tyrone Nix became the defensive coordinator for Southern Miss. This made him the youngest coordinator in Division I-A football at the time. By 2003, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which honors the top assistant coaches in the nation.

His impact was clear right away. In 2001, even though the team had lost seven starting players from the previous season, Coach Nix led the Golden Eagle defense to be ranked 8th in the country for points allowed and 11th for total yards allowed. For his first three years as defensive coordinator at Southern Miss, his defenses consistently ranked among the top 15 nationally in scoring defense.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Coach Nix joined the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2005 as a co-defensive coordinator. He shared this role with his colleague, John Thompson. Later that season, the head coach, Steve Spurrier, was very impressed with Coach Nix's skills. He promoted him to be the only defensive coordinator and also an assistant head coach.

Before his promotion, the Gamecocks were allowing opponents to score more than 27 points per game. After Coach Nix took full charge of the defense, they improved greatly, holding opponents to just 17 points per game. Under his guidance, the team achieved important wins against the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee, which they hadn't done in over 20 years.

Ole Miss Rebels

On December 11, 2007, Coach Nix became the defensive coordinator for the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). He joined the team under their new head coach, Houston Nutt.

During the 2008 season, Coach Nix's Ole Miss defense was one of the best in the country. They ranked 14th in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) for points allowed per game (17.8) and 16th for total yards allowed per game (204.8). They were also 5th nationally in stopping running plays, allowing only 1020 total rushing yards. The 2008 defense included star players like Peria Jerry and Greg Hardy. The season ended with a big 47-34 win over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl, giving the team an 8-4 record.

After the 2009 season, Coach Houston Nutt gave Coach Nix a promotion to assistant head coach. Coach Nix also received a nomination for the Frank Broyles Award again. He later moved on from Ole Miss in December 2011.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

After considering other opportunities, Tyrone Nix became the co-defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State on February 22, 2012. He worked under Coach Rick Stockstill. He continued coaching there until December 2016.

Texas A&M Aggies

In 2017, Coach Nix worked as a senior defensive analyst for the Texas A&M Aggies. In this role, he helped the coaching staff by studying opponents and planning defensive strategies.

UTSA Roadrunners

On February 3, 2020, Coach Nix was named the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the UTSA Roadrunners.