Alex Grinch

Alex Grinch, a four-time nominee and two-time Broyles Award semifinalist, enters his second season as UCF football’s defensive coordinator. Grinch joined the Knights for the 2025 campaign after spending the 2024 season as the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Wisconsin.

“I’m honored and excited to join UCF as the defensive coordinator,” said Grinch. “I want to thank Coach Frost for the opportunity to be part of this outstanding program. UCF has a tradition of explosive, high-energy football, and I look forward to building a defensive unit that matches that identity with speed, toughness, and relentless effort.

“We’re going to play fast, physical, and disciplined football, and I can’t wait to get to work with these players and coaches to help us compete at the highest level.”

Nationally recognized among his peers, Grinch was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award (presented annually to the nation’s top assistant coach) in 2019 at Oklahoma and 2017 at Washington State as the defensive coordinator at both places.

Grinch’s pass defense was the highlight of his first season with the Knights in 2025. UCF surrendered just 185.1 passing yards per game, the third lowest clip since the Black and Gold became an FBS program in 1996 and the lowest since the 2001 season. The clip ranked 22nd in the nation and third in the Big 12. The Knights allowed just 13 passing touchdowns, eight fewer than the year prior to Grinch’s arrival. Safety Phillip Dunnam set a program record with three interceptions in one game, including returning one for a pick-six. Two of UCF’s All-Big 12 honorees in 2025 came from the defense, as Malachi Lawrence earned a First Team nod while Cole Kozlowski was named Third Team. Lawrence was later selected No. 23 in the 2026 NFL Draft, becoming the highest drafted Knight on the defensive side of the ball in the program's history.

His Sooners defense improved drastically in nearly every statistic from the year prior to his arrival in Norman. Oklahoma jumped more than 100 spots in third-down conversion percentage, leaping from 118 (46.4%) in 2018 to 17 (32.2) in 2019. The Sooners led the Big 12 Conference in rushing defense and ranked among the top 35 nationally after ranking outside the top 50 the previous year.

In 2019, OU won the Big 12 Championship and earned a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff where they fell to eventual national champion LSU. The Sooners led the conference and ranked 17th nationally in tackles for loss per game with 7.4.

Grinch’s 2017 Washington State defense finished among the nation’s top 10 in third-down conversion percentage (4th: 28.5), passing yards allowed (9th: 170.9) and team tackles for loss (9th: 7.9) to earn him a spot on the Broyles Award semifinalists. WSU ranked 16th in the country in total defense, yielding 323.2 yards per game to opponents.  

Under Grinch’s direction, Washington State recorded 28 turnovers to rank ninth nationally.

He joined the Wisconsin Badgers in February 2024 following defensive coordinator stints at USC (2022-23) and Oklahoma (2019-21). UW finished among the top 15 FBS programs in fewest passing yards allowed in 2024, checking in at No. 14 with 177.7 per game. Under his guidance, senior safety captain Hunter Wohler led the Badgers in tackles with 71, the fifth most among Big Ten Conference defensive backs to claim honorable mention all-conference honors. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF) advanced metrics, Wisconsin ranked 18th nationally in pass coverage as a team at 89.7.

In 2022 at USC, Grinch's defensive unit led the nation in turnover margin (1.57) after the Trojans ranked No. 74 nationally in 2021 prior. USC ranked No. 3 nationally with 19 interceptions by 11 different players.
 
At Oklahoma, the 2020 season was another strong season for Grinch's defensive unit. The Sooners ranked top 10 nationally in interceptions, third down defense, sacks, passing efficiency defense and rushing defense while allowing only 21.7 points per game. Oklahoma claimed the 2020 Big 12 title and earned a trip to the Cotton Bowl.

Grinch spent the 2018 season at Ohio State as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. That year, the Buckeyes ranked sixth nationally with four defensive touchdowns. Before his season in Columbus, Grinch was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Washington State (2015-17) and the safeties coach at Missouri (2012-14).
 
He broke into the SEC as a full-time assistant in 2012 for a three-season stint at Missouri. Grinch coached the Tigers' safeties and Mizzou won SEC East Division titles in 2013 and 2014 and claimed a Cotton Bowl victory in 2013.
 
Grinch was a safety at Mount Union (1998-2001), as the Purple Raiders went 54-1, won three NCAA Division III championships (1998-2000-01) and four Ohio Athletic Conference titles. He earned All-America third team honors and was an Academic All-League first team selection as a 2001 senior.

The Grove City, Ohio, native received his bachelor's degree in sport management from Mount Union and earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis at Missouri.

Alex Grinch Coaching History