Mike Hiestand just completed his third season as the Ave Maria defensive coordinator. In 2018, his defense set several school records as AMU won the Sun Division Championship. Most importantly, his defense set the school record for points allowed behind remarkable performances against some of the top teams in the country. Most notably—in the game that determined first place in the conference—the Ave Maria defense limited No. 25 Keiser University to just one score en route to a 10-7 AMU victory. Ave Maria also set the school record for sacks and held the best turnover margin in the Sun Division. Coach Hiestand’s pass defense finished the season ranked No. 9 in the nation. His defense produced four first-team all-conference players in John Preyer (LB), Dylan Bryan (LB), Kobi Bowers (DB), and Shaq Hamilton (DL), and one second-team all-conference player in Savohn Hunt (DL).Â
Prior to AMU, Coach Hiestand served as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame for two seasons, during which time he was an assistant defensive line coach and worked with quality control. Prior to his two seasons at South Bend, Coach Hiestand served as a graduate assistant at Florida International University. At FIU, he worked as an assistant defensive line coach and special teams assistant. Coach Hiestand began his coaching career at Miami University in Ohio in 2012 as a graduate assistant, during which time he served as an assistant linebackers coach and special teams assistant. Coach Hiestand's playing career took him to Illinois State University, where he played linebacker and earned his degree in history. Coach Hiestand's father, Harry, has coached offensive line for 30 years collegiately and professionally, and currently serves as the offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.
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