BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Two new faces will be on the sidelines as assistants for the 2019 Illinois Wesleyan football team with the addition of Grant Caserta as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach and Michael Gunter as defensive backs coach.
 
Caserta joins the Titan staff after four seasons as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Husson University (Maine).
At Husson, he was the 2017 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference assistant coach of the year and was a 2016 finalist for Football Scoop's NCAA Division III Coordinator of the Year following a season in which his defense held opponents to under 200 yards per game.
Husson won three straight ECFC championships for the first time in program history and made three NCAA playoff appearances and, in 2018, the team was the No. 6 ranked rush defense in Division III.
In 2014, Caserta was the linebackers coach at Maine Maritime Academy (Castine, Maine) and spent the 2013 season at his alma mater, Saginaw Valley State University, as a graduate assistant linebackers coach and video coordinator.
A native of Holland, Mich., Caserta earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Saginaw Valley State, where he was a four-year starter and three-year team captain playing for Jim Collins, a former IWU assistant.
Caserta was a three-time all-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference linebacker and a CoSIDA Academic All-American first team selection his senior season.  Caserta was named to the Dean's List in each of his eight semesters, and was named to the All-GLIAC Academic Team in each of his four years.
He and his wife, Caitlin, are parents of sons Jameson and Justus.
 
Gunter comes to Illinois Wesleyan after a season as linebackers coach at the University of Pikeville (Ky.), where he was also involved in strength and conditioning, recruiting and as the academic coordinator.
In 2017, Gunter was the safeties coach at MacMurray College, when the Highlanders were second in the in both pass defense and interceptions.
A native of Rochester, Ill., Gunter played four years at Eastern Illinois University where his team won two Ohio Valley Conference championships and had three Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances. As a senior he made 24 total tackles, including 12 solo, and had two fumble recoveries.
Gunter graduated from Eastern in 2015 with a bachelor of science degree in health studies.