Duquesne Hires Bill Nesselt as Defensive Coordinator, Safeties Coach

Bill Nesselt built one of the best run-stopping defenses in FCS football at Albany. Now Duquesne wants to find out what he can do on the Bluff.

Head coach Jerry Schmitt announced Nesselt as the Dukes' new defensive coordinator and safeties coach, filling the vacancy left by Mickey Jacobs, who resigned to become the linebackers coach at Connecticut. Nesselt arrives after nine seasons at Albany, where he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2023 under then-head coach Greg Gattuso — the same Greg Gattuso who returned to Duquesne this spring as Schmitt's associate head coach for defense.

That connection was central to the decision. "Bill brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of building successful defensive units," Schmitt said. "His familiarity working with Greg and what they accomplished together at Albany made him a natural fit for our staff. We're excited to welcome him to Duquesne."

What Nesselt accomplished at Albany in 2023 is worth spelling out. His defense allowed just 87.6 rushing yards per game, the lowest figure in the entire FCS, and surrendered only 11 rushing touchdowns all season. Within the Colonial Athletic Association, Albany gave up the fewest yards per play at 4.9, ranked third in fewest yards per game at 322.5, and third in fewest touchdowns at 33. The Great Danes won their first-ever CAA title and reached the NCAA FCS semifinals that year. Nesselt was a finalist for FootballScoop's FCS Defensive Coordinator of the Year award as a direct result.

The unit produced individual award winners to match those team numbers. Linebacker Dylan Kelly earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors and First-Team All-American recognition in 2023, finishing as a top-three finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which recognizes the top defensive player in FCS football. Defensive end Anton Juncaj also finished in the top five of that same voting. Over Nesselt's three seasons running the Albany defense, 12 Great Danes earned All-CAA defensive honors.

Nesselt's path to defensive coordinator ran through nearly every position on the defensive side of the ball. He arrived at Albany in 2017 as a defensive assistant after one season coaching outside linebackers at Holy Cross, and before that spent 2015 as a defensive quality control coach at Maryland. Earlier still, he served as linebackers coach, strength and conditioning coach, and interim defensive coordinator at Ferrum College during the 2014 season, and was an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in 2013. At Albany, he coached the defensive line from 2018 through 2021, took over special teams coordination and outside linebackers in 2022, and then earned the defensive coordinator title in 2023. By 2025, he had added associate head coach to his resume.

Nesselt is a former defensive lineman at Massachusetts, giving him a playing background that mirrors the position group where his coaching reputation first took shape.

Gattuso, who spent last season as a defensive consultant at his alma mater Penn State, previously compiled a 97-32 record across 12 seasons as Duquesne's head coach from 1993 to 2004. His return to the program as associate head coach for defense, paired with Nesselt's hiring, gives Schmitt a defensive staff built around an already-proven working relationship at the FCS level.