Shane Hunter

Shane Hunter joined the Lobo Football program in January of 2024, and he serves as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach for UNM.  He comes to New Mexico after a two-year stint at Utah Tech.

Hunter has over four previous coaching stops serving as both a special teams and defensive coordinator, and he has coached every defensive position in one way or another, giving him tremendous insight not just into his position, but the entire defense

PREVIOUS COACHING STOPS

UTAH TECH (2022-23)

Hunter spent the past two seasons as the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach (2023) and corners (2022)               for the Utah Tech Trailblazers, a former junior college program that played then as Dixie State.

At Utah Tech he coached three All-United Athletic Conference players in 2023.  Junior defensive lineman Syrus Webster and redshirt freshman long snapper Ryan Kean both claimed first team all-conference honors, while freshman wide receiver Beau Sparks and junior linebacker Will Leota earned second team recognition.  Webster was the league’s only unanimous first team pick on defense as he tied for third in the FCS in forced fumbles with four. He was also second in the UAC in sacks and third in TFLs.

His 2022 defense had three First Team All-WAC picks on defense, with Webster being joined by defensive back Tyrell Grayson and linebacker Will Leota. Linebacker Malaki Malaki and defensive back Darrius Nash earned second team honors, as did kicker Connor Brooksby and punter Andrew Day.

VIRGINIA (2016-21)

Hunter spent six seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers, the first five as inside linebackers coach and the final 2021 season as safeties coach.

In his only season as safeties coach, hybrid safety/corner Anthony Johnson picked off a team-high tying three passes and was third on the team with five PBUs and Virginia’s defense recorded a pair of shutouts on the season, blanking both William & Mary and Duke.

In 2020, two of Hunter’s inside linebackers earned All-ACC honors as Nick Jackson took home third-team accolades, and Zane Zandier was named honorable mention for the second year in a row. Jackson was No. 2 in the ACC and No. 16 in the nation with 10.5 tackles per game, No. 6 in the nation and No. 2 in the ACC with 105 tackles and No. 2 in the ACC and No. 16 in the nation with 5.5 solo tackles per game.

The 2019 season was a special one in Charlottesville as the Cavaliers won the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division for the first time and made their first appearance in the ACC Championship game. UVA appeared in its first New Year’s Six bowl game, the Orange Bowl, and finished ranked No. 24 in the final College Football Playoff poll and No. 25 in the final USA Today coaches poll. It is UVA’s first string of three-straight bowl appearances since UVA went to four bowl games between 2002 and 2005.

Despite losing multiple starters on the defensive side of the ball for the season, UVA broke the program record for sacks in a season in 2019. The Chris Long-led defense in 2007 set the standard with 43, and the 2019 edition concluded the year with 46, which ranked No. 6 in the nation. Inside linebacker Jordan Mack led all ACC linebackers with 7.5 sacks. In all, 27 of UVA’s 46 sacks were recorded by linebackers, which included 13 by Hunter’s inside linebacker. UVA also was No. 22 in the nation in tackles for loss, which included 22.5 from the inside linebackers.

Mack, the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award winner as the league’s scholar-athlete of the year, also became Hunter’s second Campbell Trophy (Academic Heisman) finalist at UVA which includes 2017 winner Micah Kiser.

Hunter’s inside linebacker group assisted with UVA finishing 2018 12th in the nation in team passing efficiency defense (107.62), 16th in passing yards allowed (183.0), 20th in the nation in team defense (330.5), and 20th in scoring defense (20.1). UVA’s 28-0 drubbing of South Carolina in the 2018 Belk Bowl was the first time an SEC team was shut out in a bowl by a non-SEC team since the 1975 Gator Bowl.

In 2017, Hunter oversaw a tremendous senior season for inside linebacker Kiser, who was named the Campbell Trophy winner and led the ACC in tackles for the third year in a row. Only Boston College’s Luke Kuechly (2009-11) had previously accomplished the feat in league history. Kiser was also a three-time first-team All-ACC honoree and received multiple All-America honors over the past two seasons. Kiser’s 145 tackles in 2017 rank No. 2 all-time on UVA’s single-season ledger.

BYU (2013-15)

Hunter spent three seasons at his alma mater as a graduate assistant, working with the defensive front seven and special teams, serving from 2013-15.  The Cougars went 25-14 during his time in Provo including ranked wins over Texas and Boise State.  While working with the defense, BYU recorded 68 takeaways (43 interceptions and 25 fumble recoveries) over the 39 games from 2013-15.

SNOW COLLEGE (2011-12)

Hunter was the defensive line coach for two seasons at Snow College, and he also served as special teams coordinator in 2012.  The 2012 Badgers went 11-1 on the season and excelled in special teams.  Three punters all averaged over 40 yards per kick, and as a team, the squad averaged 40.9 yards a kick and netted 38.6 as Snow allowed just six returns all season. Placekicker Spencer Groner scored 93 points on the season.

PLAYING CAREER: Snow College (2007), BYU (2008-10)

Hunter played his freshman season at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah before moving to BYU, where he was a middle linebacker.  During his senior season in 2010, Hunter recorded 85 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.  He started all 13 games and earned honorable mention All-Mountain West honors.

He was also named to the Academic All-Mountain West team and was a member of the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.