Keith Gilmore is entering his sixth season as the Gyrene defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.
Throughout his tenure at Ave Maria, Gilmore has conducted defenses that have consistently kept the Gyrenes in games against some of the best competition in the nation. In each of his seasons, the Gyrenes have placed several defensive players on All-Conference teams.Â
Prior to his current stint, Gilmore coached at the NCAA Division I level for more than 30 years, and brings tremendous experience and energy to the field.
Before coming to Ave Maria, Gilmore coached the defensive line at Colorado State. Prior to that, he coached the defensive line at Notre Dame, where he coached All-American Sheldon Day. Before his time with the Fighting Irish, Gilmore coached the defensive line at North Carolina and Illinois. At Illinois, he coached two first-round draft picks in Corey Liuget and Whitney Mercilus. Before Illinois, Gilmore served as the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Line Coach at Cincinnati, which followed stops at Central Michigan, Howard, Norfolk State, Eastern Michigan, and Michigan State, among others.
Over the years, Gilmore has served as a Defensive Coordinator, a Special Teams Coordinator, and a Recruiting Coordinator. He has coached the defensive line, linebackers, and running backs. As a player, Gilmore was a two-time all-conference linebacker for Wayne State University.
