Skip to main content

Nick Monroe to Serve as Interim Defensive Coordinator for Pinstripe Bowl

The Orange is looking for a new leader of the defense after Tony White's departure to Nebraska.

Nick Monroe will serve as Interim Defensive Coordinator for Syracuse football's Pinstripe Bowl matchup with Minnesota later this month, according to a report from News Channel 9's Steve Infanti. Monroe was previously the Defensive Passing Game Coordinator under Tony White, who is leaving to take the Defensive Coordinator position at Nebraska. 

The news of White's departure came down Thursday afternoon and was a shock to many in Central New York. White had transformed the Syracuse defense from one of the worst in college football to one of the best. 

Monroe has been with Dino Babers for the last decade, including his stops at Eastern Illinois, Bowling Green and now Syracuse. Monroe was promoted to Defensive Passing Game Coordinator last offseason. He is known as one of the best recruiters on staff as well. 

More on Monroe from his Cuse.com bio:

A dynamic recruiter who has recruited and developed NFL talent, Nick Monroe enters his seventh season with the program and first in his elevated role of Defensive Passing Game Coordinator. He joined the staff in 2016 and served as Syracuse’s secondary coach for two seasons before narrowing his focus to the Orange’s safeties and nickelbacks in 2018 and safeties and rovers in 2020, before taking on his current role this season.

Monroe is known for his elite recruiting ability, bringing in and developing of Andre Cisco (Jacksonville Jaguars), Trill Williams (Miami Dolphins) and Ifeatu Melifonwu (Detroit Lions), the three defensive backs in the Orange’s 2021 NFL Draft Class that all went on to ink rookie contracts with the aforementioned teams.

Over the past five seasons, Monroe has co-directed a Syracuse pass defense that has thrived on creating turnovers. The Orange have intercepted 46 passes in 48 games (0.96 per game) since the start of 2018, including a streak of 17 straight games with a pick from Aug. 31, 2018 to Sept. 21, 2019. The streak tied for the third-longest in major college football since 2004.

In his current role of coaching safties and rovers, Monroe took a group that lost a pair of NFL DBs due to injury early in the season in 2020, turning to start three freshmen at the three spots. Ja’Had Carter became a Freshman All-American under his watch, finishing the year with 67 tackles and two interceptions. Rob Hanna also notched north of 50 tackles in his first season of college football.

The group excelled in 2021, as ‘Cuse put together its best total defense season in a decade, finishing second in the ACC and 19th nationally after allowing just 330 yards per game.

SUPPORT ALL SYRACUSE

SUBSCRIBE TO ALLSYRACUSE.COM NOW TO GET ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INSIDER CONTENT

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE ALL SYRACUSE NEWSLETTER TO GET THE LATEST ORANGE UPDATES SENT TO YOUR INBOX

JOIN THE ALL SYRACUSE FORUMS FOR FREE AND DISCUSS THE ORANGE WITH OTHER FANS AND OUR STAFF