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University of Minnesota Athletics
Football
Bryan Nardo
- Title:
- Senior Defensive Assistant
- Email:
- bnardo@umn.edu
Bryan Nardo joined the University of Minnesota football staff as Senior Defensive Assistant in January 2026.
Nardo comes to Minnesota from Charlotte where he coached the safeties in 2025.
Prior to his time at Charlotte, Nardo spent the 2023-24 seasons as the Defensive Coordinator at Oklahoma State.
In 2023, Nardo led a defense that helped Oklahoma State reach the Big XII conference championship game and secure a 10-win season with a victory against Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl. The Cowboy defense held opponents to less than 14 points in the second half eight times during the season. They averaged giving up 10.8 points per second half on the year, which ranked among the top 20 of power conference teams. Oklahoma State also forced 23 turnovers to rank among the top 20 in the FBS and marked the team’s highest total since 2017.
Year-over-year, the 2023 Cowboy defense improved in Rushing Defense, Scoring Defense, Red Zone Defense, Defensive Touchdowns, Total Sacks and Takeaways. The Cowboys also finished No. 2 in the nation in fourth down defense with a conversion rate of just 24 percent, stopping opponents on 19 of 25 attempts.
Linebacker Nick Martin led the unit with 140 total tackles to rank as the sixth-most in the FBS and the most for an OSU player since 1984. He also finished No. 3 in the FBS with 83 solo tackles and teamed with safeties Kendal Daniels (105 total tackles) and Trey Rucker (100 total tackles) to make Oklahoma State one of two FBS teams and the only Power Five team with three players to record triple-digit tackles on the year.
Martin was a first team All-Big 12 selection and linebacker Collin Oliver earned second team honors.
During his career, Nardo has mentored 28 all-conference linebackers with three of them adding All-America recognition.
Nardo spent the 2022 season as the Defensive Coordinator at Gannon University. During his stint at Gannon, Nardo improved the Golden Knights in nearly every defensive category, including scoring defense, yards per play, rush defense, pass defense and total defense. Gannon’s total defense average improved from 393.3 in 2021 to 287.4 in his lone season there. It was Gannon’s lowest total yards per game allowed average in 20 seasons.
Two of his players at Gannon, defensive back Chris Farnsworth and defensive end Nick White, also earned honorable mention All-America honors while helping lead the Golden Knights to an 8-3 overall record.
Nardo coached linebackers at Youngstown State from 2020-21, and the unit thrived under his leadership. He recruited and coached transfer Grant Dixon, who stepped right into the starting lineup in 2020 and became the first YSU linebacker to be named first-team All-MVFC since 2007. Dixon followed that up with another all-conference performance under Nardo in 2021, leading the Penguins in tackles with 67 while adding two interceptions and two sacks.
Nardo spent eight seasons as the Defensive Coordinator at Emporia State. He was selected as a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute in 2019, which was his final year at Emporia State.
At Emporia State, he lead a defense that helped the program to a 63-32 record with five postseason appearances.
The 63 wins during the eight seasons are more than any other decade of Emporia State football, and were the second-most in the MIAA during that time. The Hornets won two bowl games (2012 and 2018) while making the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 2013, 2015 and 2016, being ranked as high as No. 4 in the country.
Nardo’s Emporia State defense was one of the best in the country in forcing takeaways, producing 209 during his time in Emporia. The Hornets were the only Division II program in country to force 25-plus takeaways every year from 2012-16.
Nardo coached two linebackers to All-American accolades during those eight years, Ben Carlson in 2012 and Jace McDown in 2019. They were the first to earn that honor for the Hornets since 1999. Six different Hornet linebackers recorded 100-plus tackles in a season, with two others recording more than 90. In 2015, for the first time in MIAA history, all three starting linebackers at Emporia State surpassed 100 tackles.
In 2019, Emporia State was one of the best in the MIAA in almost every defensive category. The Hornets led the league in passing defense, while Lawson Holbert led the conference with seven interceptions and earned All-American honors in the process. ESU was second in total defense and third in rushing defense, which helped junior linebacker Jace McDown earn MIAA Athlete of the Year as well as All-American honors after finishing second in the league in total tackles. The unit’s success led to nine players from Emporia State’s defense earning all-conference honors.
In 2018, Emporia State finished with another postseason appearance, securing their fourth straight winning season for the first time since joining NCAA Division II, and capped it off with a Corsicana Bowl win to finish 8-4. Nardo helped five players earn All-MIAA honors.
The Hornets finished the 2016 season with an 11-2 overall record, going 10-1 in the MIAA. ESU hosted an NCAA Division II Playoff Game for the first time in school history, defeating 13th-ranked Minnesota Duluth, 59-26, to advance to the second round of the playoffs. The defense ranked in the top three in the MIAA in defensive scoring average and ended the year with 39 sacks. Kole Schankie led the nation in interceptions by a linebacker with seven.
In 2015, Nardo’s defense helped the team to an 11-3 record and trip to the NCAA Division II regional final, securing Emporia State’s first ever victories in the Division II Playoffs. He guided a defense that was second in the MIAA in sacks with 40 and third in the league in interceptions with 17. The Hornets finished in the top 10 in the country with 32 takeaways, 103 tackles for loss and 40 sacks. The 40 sacks were the second most in a single season since the program began in 1893.
In 2012, Nardo’s first season in Emporia, the Hornets went to the postseason for the first time in nine years, finishing the season 10-2 with a victory in the Kanza Bowl. The next season showed continued success as Emporia State made its first trip back to the NCAA Division II Playoffs since 2003, finishing the season 9-2.
Before going to Emporia State, Nardo spent a season at Missouri S&T where he was named the Great Lakes Football Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011. Both of his starting linebackers earned first team All-GLFC honors and the Miners led the GLFC in net punting, punt return defense, and kickoff return yards.
Nardo graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management in 2008. He was a student coach from 2004-08 and was a graduate assistant at Ohio from 2008-10 where he worked with nickel backs and outside linebackers.
A native of Shadyside, Ohio, Nardo graduated from St. John Central High School and then attended Ohio University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management in 2008. Coaching football runs deep in the Nardo family, as his father, Perry, and two brothers, Matt and Luke, are all members of the coaching profession.
Nardo and his wife, Emma, have three sons (Dominick, Elijah and Beau).
Nardo comes to Minnesota from Charlotte where he coached the safeties in 2025.
Prior to his time at Charlotte, Nardo spent the 2023-24 seasons as the Defensive Coordinator at Oklahoma State.
In 2023, Nardo led a defense that helped Oklahoma State reach the Big XII conference championship game and secure a 10-win season with a victory against Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl. The Cowboy defense held opponents to less than 14 points in the second half eight times during the season. They averaged giving up 10.8 points per second half on the year, which ranked among the top 20 of power conference teams. Oklahoma State also forced 23 turnovers to rank among the top 20 in the FBS and marked the team’s highest total since 2017.
Year-over-year, the 2023 Cowboy defense improved in Rushing Defense, Scoring Defense, Red Zone Defense, Defensive Touchdowns, Total Sacks and Takeaways. The Cowboys also finished No. 2 in the nation in fourth down defense with a conversion rate of just 24 percent, stopping opponents on 19 of 25 attempts.
Linebacker Nick Martin led the unit with 140 total tackles to rank as the sixth-most in the FBS and the most for an OSU player since 1984. He also finished No. 3 in the FBS with 83 solo tackles and teamed with safeties Kendal Daniels (105 total tackles) and Trey Rucker (100 total tackles) to make Oklahoma State one of two FBS teams and the only Power Five team with three players to record triple-digit tackles on the year.
Martin was a first team All-Big 12 selection and linebacker Collin Oliver earned second team honors.
During his career, Nardo has mentored 28 all-conference linebackers with three of them adding All-America recognition.
Nardo spent the 2022 season as the Defensive Coordinator at Gannon University. During his stint at Gannon, Nardo improved the Golden Knights in nearly every defensive category, including scoring defense, yards per play, rush defense, pass defense and total defense. Gannon’s total defense average improved from 393.3 in 2021 to 287.4 in his lone season there. It was Gannon’s lowest total yards per game allowed average in 20 seasons.
Two of his players at Gannon, defensive back Chris Farnsworth and defensive end Nick White, also earned honorable mention All-America honors while helping lead the Golden Knights to an 8-3 overall record.
Nardo coached linebackers at Youngstown State from 2020-21, and the unit thrived under his leadership. He recruited and coached transfer Grant Dixon, who stepped right into the starting lineup in 2020 and became the first YSU linebacker to be named first-team All-MVFC since 2007. Dixon followed that up with another all-conference performance under Nardo in 2021, leading the Penguins in tackles with 67 while adding two interceptions and two sacks.
Nardo spent eight seasons as the Defensive Coordinator at Emporia State. He was selected as a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute in 2019, which was his final year at Emporia State.
At Emporia State, he lead a defense that helped the program to a 63-32 record with five postseason appearances.
The 63 wins during the eight seasons are more than any other decade of Emporia State football, and were the second-most in the MIAA during that time. The Hornets won two bowl games (2012 and 2018) while making the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 2013, 2015 and 2016, being ranked as high as No. 4 in the country.
Nardo’s Emporia State defense was one of the best in the country in forcing takeaways, producing 209 during his time in Emporia. The Hornets were the only Division II program in country to force 25-plus takeaways every year from 2012-16.
Nardo coached two linebackers to All-American accolades during those eight years, Ben Carlson in 2012 and Jace McDown in 2019. They were the first to earn that honor for the Hornets since 1999. Six different Hornet linebackers recorded 100-plus tackles in a season, with two others recording more than 90. In 2015, for the first time in MIAA history, all three starting linebackers at Emporia State surpassed 100 tackles.
In 2019, Emporia State was one of the best in the MIAA in almost every defensive category. The Hornets led the league in passing defense, while Lawson Holbert led the conference with seven interceptions and earned All-American honors in the process. ESU was second in total defense and third in rushing defense, which helped junior linebacker Jace McDown earn MIAA Athlete of the Year as well as All-American honors after finishing second in the league in total tackles. The unit’s success led to nine players from Emporia State’s defense earning all-conference honors.
In 2018, Emporia State finished with another postseason appearance, securing their fourth straight winning season for the first time since joining NCAA Division II, and capped it off with a Corsicana Bowl win to finish 8-4. Nardo helped five players earn All-MIAA honors.
The Hornets finished the 2016 season with an 11-2 overall record, going 10-1 in the MIAA. ESU hosted an NCAA Division II Playoff Game for the first time in school history, defeating 13th-ranked Minnesota Duluth, 59-26, to advance to the second round of the playoffs. The defense ranked in the top three in the MIAA in defensive scoring average and ended the year with 39 sacks. Kole Schankie led the nation in interceptions by a linebacker with seven.
In 2015, Nardo’s defense helped the team to an 11-3 record and trip to the NCAA Division II regional final, securing Emporia State’s first ever victories in the Division II Playoffs. He guided a defense that was second in the MIAA in sacks with 40 and third in the league in interceptions with 17. The Hornets finished in the top 10 in the country with 32 takeaways, 103 tackles for loss and 40 sacks. The 40 sacks were the second most in a single season since the program began in 1893.
In 2012, Nardo’s first season in Emporia, the Hornets went to the postseason for the first time in nine years, finishing the season 10-2 with a victory in the Kanza Bowl. The next season showed continued success as Emporia State made its first trip back to the NCAA Division II Playoffs since 2003, finishing the season 9-2.
Before going to Emporia State, Nardo spent a season at Missouri S&T where he was named the Great Lakes Football Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011. Both of his starting linebackers earned first team All-GLFC honors and the Miners led the GLFC in net punting, punt return defense, and kickoff return yards.
Nardo graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management in 2008. He was a student coach from 2004-08 and was a graduate assistant at Ohio from 2008-10 where he worked with nickel backs and outside linebackers.
A native of Shadyside, Ohio, Nardo graduated from St. John Central High School and then attended Ohio University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management in 2008. Coaching football runs deep in the Nardo family, as his father, Perry, and two brothers, Matt and Luke, are all members of the coaching profession.
Nardo and his wife, Emma, have three sons (Dominick, Elijah and Beau).
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