Jay Nunez - Football Coach - Alabama Athletics

Jay Nunez

Title:
Special Teams Coordinator
Phone:
205-963-5700

Personal Information

Hometown: Alva, Oklahoma
Education: Pittsburg State, 2009; Pittsburg State, 2013
Spouse: Ashley
Children: Aaron, Emmit, Kayde
Birthday: January 29

Coaching Experience

2024-present: Alabama, STC
2022-23: Oklahoma, Senior Analyst
2021: Eastern Michigan, AHC/STC/DL
2020: Eastern Michigan, STC/DL
2018-19: Eastern Michigan, STC/RC
2017: Eastern Michigan, STC/TE
2016: Southern Illinois, STC/TE
2011-15: Minnesota, QC/ST
2009-11: Pittsburgh State, GA

Jay Nunez came to Alabama in the spring of 2024 as a special assistant to the head coach and eventually moved into a role as special teams coordinator. He has guided the Crimson Tide's efforts on special teams since the start of the 2024 campaign.

Alabama - Special Teams Coordinator (2024-Present)

The 2025 team was tasked with replacing all three starters from the season prior for the first time since 2010
Conor Talty took on field goal duties while Blake Doud transferred in at punter and a pair of long snappers split duties at their post
UA's special teams defense recorded four total blocks split between two punts and a pair of field goals
The Tide's two blocked punts were its most since 2021 and included a game-changing block at Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff First Round
Nunez' unit in 2024 welcomed back two starters in Kneeland Hibbett and James Burnip while the Tide added 2023 Lou Groza Award winner Graham Nicholson at placekicker
Hibbett excelled once again, earning semifinalist honors for the Patrick Mannelly Award, presented to the nation's top long-snapper
Burnip was a weapon, finishing fourth in the Southeastern Conference and ninth nationally with a 45.4 yards per punt mark after accumulating 2,359 yards on 52 punts
A whopping 20 of Burnip's boots went for 50-plus yards while 19 of his kicks landed inside the opponent 20-yard line
Burnip's ability to flip the field paid off, as the punting unit allowed just 1.00 yards per punt return for the season to lead the nation in that category
The Tide finished with a 43.67 net punting mark under Nunez' guidance that was second in the conference and ranked fourth in Division I
On kickoff, UA ranked 10th in starting field position after kickoff with a minus-seven mark
Overall, Alabama was 14th in special teams efficiency for the 2024 campaign

Oklahoma - Senior Analyst (2022-23)

Spent two years as a senior analyst at Oklahoma where he directed the Sooners' special teams
Michael Turk began the '23 season at punter before Nunez made the move to Central Michigan transfer Luke Elzinga in the middle of that season and saw him finish with a 45.1 average
The Sooners also improved 41 spots nationally in average kickoff return in ‘23
OU went from 99th in Division I for punt returns the year before he arrived to 12th with a 15.08 yards per return mark in 2022
Turk was exceptional for the Sooners in ‘22, ranking third nationally in yards per punt at 46.7

Eastern Michigan - Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Line (2021) | STC/DL (2020) | STC/Recruiting Coordinator (2018-19) | STC/Tight Ends (2017)

Worked at Eastern Michigan from 2017-21, directing the special teams all five seasons while working with various other groups during his time there
Held the title of assistant head coach and worked with the defensive line in 2021
Coached the defensive line in 2020, worked as the Eagles' recruiting coordinator from 20180-19 and was the tight ends coach in 2017
In 2021, Jake Julien proved to be one of the best in the nation, averaging 45.7 yards per punt to rank 14th in the country
EMU finished 17th in Division I for net punting at 41.7 yards and ranked 28th in punt returns (10.92 ypr), 33rd in kickoff return defense (17.68 ypr) and 41st in kickoff returns (21.44 ypr) in 2021
Eastern's special teams units were once again some of the very best in the Mid-American Conference in 2020
In coverage, EMU finished first in the league with one blocked kick and was also tops in the conference at protecting its kickers in ‘20
Eastern's kickoff return defense held opponents to just 18.04 yards per return, which was the second-lowest in the league, while its punt return defense allowed just 0.75 yards per return, good for 10th nationally in 2020
Julien was strong in his 2020 efforts, booting 16 kicks for 708 yards, a 44.3 yards per punt average, while EMU's 43.8 yards per punt mark finished as the best in the MAC
In the kicking game, junior Chad Ryland recorded his best season as an Eagle thanks to an 84.7 percent mark on field goals (11-of-13)
Nunez also added responsibilities with the defensive line in 2020, where he helped groom defensive tackles Turan Rush and Jose Ramirez into All-MAC honorees
Rush, a second team All-MAC selection, established himself as one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the conference, finishing sixth in the MAC and 32nd in the FBS in sacks at 0.75 per game
Ramirez, named to the conference's third team, played in each of EMU's six games in ‘20 and recorded at least two tackles every appearance that season
The EMU defense, aided by Nunez' group, was successful at forcing turnovers throughout the team's six games in 2020, recovering nine fumbles to lead the MAC and rank 11th nationally that season
In 2019, Julien set the program's single-season punting mark at 43.8 yards per boot and led the MAC while ranking 30th nationally in punting
Ryland connected on 14 field goals during the '19 season, including the game-winner to upend Big Ten foe Illinois
In 2018, EMU's special teams ranked second nationally in punts downed inside the five, fourth in punts downed inside the 10 and 23rd in punts downed inside the 20 while the Eagles were fifth in the FBS in punts past the 50
Nunez also helped mentor Julien to second team All-MAC honors in 2018 while becoming the first EMU player to earn MAC Player of the Week accolades five times in the same season
Julien finished his career as the only EMU player to have recorded two punts of 70-or-more yards and led the MAC in punting with an average of 43.4 as a senior, including 13 punts of 50-or-more yards and 24 that were downed inside the 20-yard line

Southern Illinois - Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends (2016)

Served as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach for Southern Illinois in 2016
Guided SIU to some of the most dynamic special teams play in the nation as the Salukis led the Missouri Valley Football Conference in kick return average and ranked eighth nationally in that category
D.J. Davis was named All-MVFC as a returner after averaging a league-best 26.0 yards per kick return in 2016
Austin Johnson also became the first kicker in SIU history to hit three career field goals of 50-plus yards
Under Nunez' guidance, tight end Jacob Varble started 10 games and caught 16 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown

Additional Coaching Experience

From 2011-15, Nunez served as the quality control assistant for special teams at Minnesota and helped manage the day-to-day operations of the unit
He also aided the Gophers with opponent breakdowns and other tasks
Nunez got his start in coaching at Pittsburg State, where he worked with the offensive and defensive lines for two seasons
Additionally, he developed game and weight room plans while helping with video sessions and recruiting at his alma mater

Playing Career

Graduated from Pittsburgh State University in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in history/government
Earned his master's degree in educational leadership from PSU in 2013
Was a four-year letterwinner on the Pittsburg State University football team
Named a team captain as a senior and was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy in 2009, which is awarded by the National Football Foundation to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service and on-field performance