Illinois Wesleyan

Jeff McDonald returns for his second season as the defensive coordinator for the Illinois Wesleyan football team in 2018.

In year one McDonald led a defense that was nationally ranked in a number different categories while winning a share of the CCIW Championship for the first time since 2009 and reaching the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2013.  The Titan defense was the #1 Scoring Defense and Rushing Defense in the CCIW allowing only one rushing touchdown in the 10 game regular season.  Nationally, the Titan defense finished the regular season 4th in rushing defense, 11th in scoring defense & 23rd in both Total Defense and Sacks.  During the 2017 season, the Titan defense also recorded two shutouts, the first time since 2011.  Illinois Wesleyan had seven selections on the All-CCIW Team including all three linebackers.  Linebacker Jordan Hassan was named the 2017 CCIW Defensive Player of the Year and was selected as a 1st Team All-American on three different lists.  Free Safety Trevor Staley was recognized as a 2nd Team All-American by the Associated Press.  As a whole, Illinois Wesleyan took home the CCIW Defensive Player of the Week Award five times during the 2017 season.

McDonald came to IWU after eight seasons as an assistant at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.  There he was the Cardinals' defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the final three seasons.  In 2016 the Cardinals defense was ranked #1 in the NESCAC in Total Defense, Scoring Defense, Rush Defense, Pass Defense & 3rd Down Defense as the team finished with their second Little Three championships in three years and their best four-year record since the 1940’s.  As the recruiting coordinator for the program, he oversaw an effort that led to a record-breaking number of all conference selections highlighted by both the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year being selected from Wesleyan in 2013.  
 
Prior to being named the defensive coordinator, McDonald served as the team’s special teams coordinator.  His special teams were consistently ranked in the top half of the NESCAC while recording a first in Wesleyan Football history- placing both a kicker and a returner on the same all-conference team in back to back years (2013-2014). His role at Wesleyan included administrative duties working as the advisor to SAAC and as the liaison to the Middletown community.
 
Previous to his time at Wesleyan, McDonald spent a number of years at the Division I level.  The veteran coach spent time as the defensive coordinator at Towson University and as the linebacker coach at both Central Connecticut State University and the University of New Hampshire.  

From 2002-2007, McDonald was an assistant at Yale University. Coaching the defensive ends and outside linebackers.  He helped the Bulldogs win the Ivy League Championship in 2006 while coaching six all-league players. The 2007 Yale defense finished the season ranked as the No. 1 scoring defense in the FCS. McDonald was also the recruiting coordinator overseeing the Eli's national recruiting efforts.
 
His college coaching career began at Quincy University (Ill.) where he served in several different roles including defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for the Hawks.
 
Upon graduating from the University of South Florida in 1995, McDonald taught history and English in the dropout prevention program while coaching football and track at Ridgewood High School in New Port Richey, Fla.  He received his master's degree in 2004 from Quincy University.
 
In conjunction with the magazine American Football Monthly, McDonald writes a blog on defensive football techniques and speaks regularly at the annual Nike Coach of the Year Clinics.  
 
McDonald, who grew up in Jupiter, Fla., and his wife Rebecca reside in Bloomington with their daughter, Olivia.