Kennesaw State University Athletics

Blake Harrell enters his first season as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Kennesaw State in 2019. He was named the defensive coordinator on Jan. 22, 2019 after serving in the same role at The Citadel for five seasons.
 
Harrell's stingy defenses helped The Citadel capture back-to-back Southern Conference championships and earn the No. 6 overall seed in the FCS Playoffs during the 2016 season. He has developed some of the most dynamic players in the SoCon during his five-year tenure as The Citadel embarked on the most successful run in school history.
 
The Citadel put its 2018 defense on full display at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Nov. 17, holding No. 1 Alabama to just 10 first-half points, its lowest first-half point total of the year. The Bulldogs held five opponents to less than 100 yards rushing during the 2018 campaign and led the SoCon in first down defense, ranking 35th nationally.
 
Harrell's defensive units have consistently created turnovers during his tenure, racking up 83 in the last four years, including 31 during the 2015 season to rank No. 3 in the country. His teams have forced at least 17 turnovers in each of the last four seasons, averaging 1.76 turnovers per game during the stretch.
 
The Citadel boasted one of the top defenses in the SoCon during the 2017 season, finishing league play with the No. 1 scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense. In 2016, the Bulldog defense was the cornerstone of a team that earned a program-record 10-game winning streak, a single-season school-record six road victories and a No. 6 national seed in the FCS Playoffs.
 
Harrell went to Charleston after an extended tenure at Lenoir-Rhyne. In 2013, Harrell helped coach a Lenoir-Rhyne team that reached the National Championship Game. The Bears set a school record with 13 wins and finished the year ranked No. 2 in the nation in Division II. Defensively, Lenoir-Rhyne led the South Atlantic Conference in total defense, rushing defense, quarterback sacks and scoring defense.
 
Prior to Lenoir-Rhyne, Harrell coached the 2005 and 2006 seasons at Franklin (N.C.) High School where he headed up the linebackers and added defensive coordinator duties in 2006. Harrell was part of a Franklin team that was 22-4 over those two seasons, and his 2006 defense held opponents to just nine points per game.
 
Harrell also coached at Fuquay-Varina (N.C.) High School in 2004 and McDowell (N.C.) High School in 2003 following his first stint at Franklin High School from 2001-02.
 
Harrell graduated from Western Carolina in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and was a student assistant for the Catamount football team in 2000. He earned his MBA from Lenoir-Rhyne in 2012.
 
Harrell and his wife, Jessie, have three daughters, Kennedy, Kingston and Aspen.