Football
Armstrong, Austin
Austin Armstrong
- Title:
- Defensive Coordinator / Inside Linebackers
- Phone:
- 266-5393
Austin Armstrong handles the defensive coordinator chores as well as serves as the inside linebackers coach for the second season for the Golden Eagles.
As the youngest defensive coordinator in the country during his first season of overseeing the Nasty Bunch, the Golden Eagles ranked No. 42 nationally in total defense (385.5) besting their mark by 18 spots in the country from the season before. His defense also ranked in the Top 10 in the country in first downs allowed (No. 2), fumbles recovered (No. 4), red zone defense (No. 6), defensive touchdowns (No. 7) and also ranked No. 15 in turnovers gained and No. 24 in passing yards allowed.
The Golden Eagles held their opponents to under 100 yards on the ground three times and registered their first shutout since 2017 in a 37-0 win over Grambling.
Despite the team surrendered 27.9 points per contest, the Southern Miss defense allowed just 18.5 per game as the squad given up 63 points directly off turnovers, including 34 points on short fields after turnovers, 14 points on two kick returns for scores, and one safety when the quarterback was sacked in the end zone. The defense surrendering points under its opposition scoring average in 11 of 12 games during the campaign.
Four of his defensive players earned honorable mention All-Conference USA including defensive lineman Josh Carr, linebackers Santrell Latham and Hayes Maples and defensive back Malik Shorts.
Armstrong spent the 2022 campaign as inside linebackers coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, where the Ragin’ Cajuns were nationally ranked and the defense held three Top 5 defensive national rankings through the end of the regular season, including No. 2 in passes intercepted (15), No. 3 in defensive passing efficiency (96.27) and No. 4 in passing yards allowed per game (166.9), as well as a No. 31 ranking in total defense (347.8).
Armstrong returned to UL Lafayette after spending the 2019 season at Georgia where he worked as a defensive quality control coach, assisting coach Kirby Smart's squad as they climbed as high as No. 3 in the national rankings. The Bulldogs finished the 2019 season with a 12-2 record and a win in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Armstrong also served as a defensive graduate assistant coach with the Ragin' Cajuns for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Louisiana claimed its first of back-to-back Sun Belt Conference West Division championships in 2018, played in the Sun Belt's inaugural football championship game and earned a berth in the AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Prior to his first stint with the Ragin' Cajuns, Armstrong was an assistant defensive line coach at West Georgia (Div. II) for the 2016 season.
Armstrong earned his Bachelor's degree from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2014, after playing linebacker for the Hawks for four seasons.
Armstrong and wife, Tiffany, live in Hattiesburg.
As the youngest defensive coordinator in the country during his first season of overseeing the Nasty Bunch, the Golden Eagles ranked No. 42 nationally in total defense (385.5) besting their mark by 18 spots in the country from the season before. His defense also ranked in the Top 10 in the country in first downs allowed (No. 2), fumbles recovered (No. 4), red zone defense (No. 6), defensive touchdowns (No. 7) and also ranked No. 15 in turnovers gained and No. 24 in passing yards allowed.
The Golden Eagles held their opponents to under 100 yards on the ground three times and registered their first shutout since 2017 in a 37-0 win over Grambling.
Despite the team surrendered 27.9 points per contest, the Southern Miss defense allowed just 18.5 per game as the squad given up 63 points directly off turnovers, including 34 points on short fields after turnovers, 14 points on two kick returns for scores, and one safety when the quarterback was sacked in the end zone. The defense surrendering points under its opposition scoring average in 11 of 12 games during the campaign.
Four of his defensive players earned honorable mention All-Conference USA including defensive lineman Josh Carr, linebackers Santrell Latham and Hayes Maples and defensive back Malik Shorts.
Armstrong spent the 2022 campaign as inside linebackers coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, where the Ragin’ Cajuns were nationally ranked and the defense held three Top 5 defensive national rankings through the end of the regular season, including No. 2 in passes intercepted (15), No. 3 in defensive passing efficiency (96.27) and No. 4 in passing yards allowed per game (166.9), as well as a No. 31 ranking in total defense (347.8).
Armstrong returned to UL Lafayette after spending the 2019 season at Georgia where he worked as a defensive quality control coach, assisting coach Kirby Smart's squad as they climbed as high as No. 3 in the national rankings. The Bulldogs finished the 2019 season with a 12-2 record and a win in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Armstrong also served as a defensive graduate assistant coach with the Ragin' Cajuns for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Louisiana claimed its first of back-to-back Sun Belt Conference West Division championships in 2018, played in the Sun Belt's inaugural football championship game and earned a berth in the AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Prior to his first stint with the Ragin' Cajuns, Armstrong was an assistant defensive line coach at West Georgia (Div. II) for the 2016 season.
Armstrong earned his Bachelor's degree from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2014, after playing linebacker for the Hawks for four seasons.
Armstrong and wife, Tiffany, live in Hattiesburg.
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