Texas Tech Officially Hires Shiel Wood as Defensive Coordinator

Wood, one of the nation’s rising defensive coaches, joins Texas Tech after one season in the same role at Houston, where he helped the Cougars become one of the top defenses in the Big 12. With 15 years of Division I coaching experience, Wood has served as a defensive coordinator at Army, Troy, Tulane, and Houston over the past four seasons.

“We’re excited to welcome Coach Wood and his family to our program,” McGuire said. “Coach Wood has a proven track record of immediately improving defenses and creating havoc with turnovers, which was exactly the philosophy we were looking for as we move forward as a program. We believe we have a strong, young nucleus defensively that is only going to improve under Coach Wood’s guidance.”

In 2024, Wood guided Houston to significant defensive improvements. The Cougars reduced their average points allowed from 31.5 to 22.9 and cut total yards allowed per game by nearly 100 yards. Houston finished the season ranked 26th nationally and second in the Big 12 for total defense, as well as 28th for passing defense, surrendering only 188.8 yards per game through the air.

Wood's success is part of a larger trend, as his defenses have consistently ranked in the top 35 nationally for total defense over the past five years. Notable achievements include leading Troy’s defense to a Sun Belt title in 2022 and Tulane to an 11-win season and an appearance in the American Athletic Conference Championship in 2023. His units at Troy and Tulane also excelled in generating turnovers, ranking in the top 10 nationally for takeaways in consecutive years.

Wood began his coaching career on the offensive side of the ball before transitioning to defense. His resume includes coaching linebackers and safeties, as well as serving as a special teams coordinator at Georgia Tech and Georgia State. He was also the defensive coordinator at Wofford, where he helped the team capture a Southern Conference title in 2017 and advance to the FCS quarterfinals.

A former wide receiver at Wofford, Wood played from 2001-2005, helping the Terriers win the Southern Conference Championship and reach the semifinals of the Division I-AA playoffs. He graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in government.

Wood and his wife, Bernadette, who was a collegiate soccer player at Wofford, have two daughters, Fay and Grace.

Shiel Wood Coaching Timeline

• 2024 – Houston Defensive Coordinator
• 2023 – Tulane Defensive Coordinator (Linebackers)
• 2022 – Troy Defensive Coordinator (Safeties)
• 2021 – Army Co-Defensive Coordinator (Safeties)
• 2020 – Army Inside Linebackers Coach
• 2019 – Georgia State Special Teams Coordinator (Inside Linebackers)
• 2018 – Georgia Tech Safeties/Special Teams Coach
• 2017 – Wofford Defensive Coordinator (Safeties/Recruiting)
• 2007-2016 – Various roles at Wofford and Woodruff High School