Shane Hunter is in his first year as Utah State’s special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. Hunter, who is entering his 11th season working with head coach Bronco Mendenhall, has been part of seven bowl eligible teams and one divisional title team.
In his five previous coaching stops, Hunter has served as both a special teams and defensive coordinator and has coached every defensive position. He brings 14 years of collegiate coaching experience to USU, including four years as a coordinator.
Hunter came to Utah State after spending the 2024 season as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at New Mexico. He helped the Lobos to a 5-7 record, marking the program’s most wins in eight years. Their season was highlighted by a 38-35 victory against No. 19 Washington State, snapping a 26-game losing streak against nationally ranked teams. The UNM victory was its first win over a top-20 team since 1994 and its first non-conference win against a top-20 opponent since 1940.
New Mexico’s special teams achieved remarkable success in his one season on staff. Known for its innovation, UNM led the nation for successful two-point plays with five, boosting the program’s national Special Teams Efficiency ranking by 20 spots from the previous season. UNM’s punt return unit also improved 87 spots from No. 132 in 2023 to No. 45 in 2024 and the Lobos had its first punt return for a touchdown in three years. Furthermore, the punt unit (+16), kickoff return unit (+15) and field goal unit (+3) all saw improvement during the 2024 campaign.
At New Mexico, Hunter helped mentor three defenders who earned All-Mountain West honors as the team ranked third in the conference and 29th in the nation with two defensive touchdowns. UNM also added one special teams touchdown during the year.
Before New Mexico, Hunter spent two seasons as the co-defensive coordinator at Utah Tech as he coached the safeties in 2023 and the cornerbacks in 2022. He coached three All-United Athletic Conference players in 2023, and his 2022 defense had three first-team All-Western Athletic Conference picks.
Hunter also spent six seasons with Mendenhall at Virginia, the first five as inside linebackers coach and the 2021 season as safeties coach.
In his only season as safeties coach, hybrid safety/corner Anthony Johnson picked off a team-high-tying three passes and ranked third on the team with five pass breakups as Virginia’s defense recorded a pair of shutouts against William & Mary and Duke.
In 2020, two of Hunter’s inside linebackers earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors as Nick Jackson took home third-team accolades, and Zane Zandier was named honorable mention for the second year in a row. Jackson was No. 2 in the ACC and No. 16 in the nation with 10.5 tackles per game.
The 2019 season was special in Charlottesville as the Cavaliers won the ACC Coastal Division for the first time and made their first appearance in the ACC Championship Game. UVA appeared in its first New Year’s Six bowl game, the Orange Bowl, and finished No. 24 in the final College Football Playoff poll and No. 25 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. It was UVA’s first string of three-straight bowl appearances since it went to four bowl games between 2002 and 2005.
Despite losing multiple starters on the defensive side of the ball for the season, Virginia set the program record for sacks in a season with 46 in 2019, which ranked No. 6 in the nation. Inside linebacker Jordan Mack led all ACC linebackers with 7.5 sacks. In all, linebackers tallied 27 of UVA’s 46 sacks, including 13 by Hunter’s inside linebackers. UVA also was No. 22 in the nation in tackles for loss, which included 22.5 from the inside linebackers.
Mack, the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award winner as the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, also became Hunter’s second Campbell Trophy (Academic Heisman) finalist at UVA, including 2017 winner Micah Kiser.
Hunter’s inside linebacker group assisted with Virginia finishing the 2018 season 12th in the nation in team passing efficiency defense (107.62), 16th in passing yards allowed (183.0), 20th in team defense (330.5), and 20th in scoring defense (20.1). UVA’s 28-0 drubbing of South Carolina in the 2018 Belk Bowl was the first time an SEC team was shut out in a bowl by a non-SEC squad since the 1975 Gator Bowl.
In 2017, Hunter oversaw a tremendous senior season for inside linebacker Kiser, who was named the Campbell Trophy winner and led the ACC in tackles for the third year in a row. Kiser was also a three-time first-team All-ACC honoree and received multiple All-America honors over the past two seasons. Kiser’s 145 tackles in 2017 rank No. 2 all-time on UVA’s single-season ledger.
Before his time at Virginia, Hunter spent three seasons (2013-15) at his alma mater, BYU, as a graduate assistant, working with the defensive front seven and special teams. The Cougars played in three-straight bowl games and went 25-14 during his time in Provo, including ranked wins over Texas and Boise State. While working with the defense, BYU recorded 68 takeaways (43 interceptions and 25 fumble recoveries) over 39 games.
Hunter began his coaching career at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, as he was the defensive line coach for two seasons (2011-12) and served as special teams coordinator in 2012. The 2012 Badgers went 11-1 and excelled in special teams. Three punters averaged over 40 yards per kick, and as a team, the squad averaged 40.9 yards and netted 38.6 per kick as Snow allowed just six returns all season.
Hunter played two seasons (2003 and 2007) at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, before moving to BYU, where he was a middle linebacker for three years (2008-10). During his senior season in 2010, he recorded 85 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery as he started all 13 games and earned honorable mention All-Mountain West honors. He was named to the Academic All-MW team and was a member of the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.
Hunter earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from BYU in 2011 and his master’s in public administration in 2016.
He and his wife Carrie have four children: daughters Halle, Maizy and Grace; and son Hudson.
SHANE HUNTER FILE
Coaching History
2025- Utah State – Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers
2024 New Mexico – Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers
2023 Utah Tech – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2022 Utah Tech – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks
2021 Virginia – Safeties
2016-20 Virginia – Inside Linebackers
2013-15 BYU – Defensive Graduate Assistant
2012 Snow College – Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Line
2011 Snow College – Defensive Line
Bowl Games (7)
Virginia (4): 2021 Fenway Bowl*; 2019 Orange Bowl; 2018 Belk Bowl; 2017 Military Bowl
BYU (3): 2015 Las Vegas Bowl; 2014 Miami Beach Bowl; 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl
*Not Contested
Division Championships (1)
Virginia (1) – ACC Coastal: 2019
Playing Experience
2008-10 BYU
2003, ’07 Snow College
Education
2013 BYU – Communications (Master’s)
2011 BYU – Communications (Bachelor’s)
Family
Wife, Carrie, and children, Halle, Hudson, Maizy and Grace
