PITTSBURG — Pittsburg State University head football coach Brian Wright announced today (Mar. 15) the recent hiring of a new staff member as well as a trio of staff promotions.
 
Lynn Nutt has been hired as the co-Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach. He replaces Jody Owens who recently left the Gorillas' staff for an NFL coaching opportunity with the Carolina Panthers.
 
Additionally, defensive coordinator Tom Anthony has been promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator, while tight ends coach Jerry DiMinno has been elevated to Passing Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach and graduate assistant Nick Fett has been promoted to Tight Ends Coach.
 
Kyle Weiss also has been hired as an offensive graduate assistant coach.
 
Nutt comes to Pitt State from Dordt University where he served as Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator in 2021. He served five seasons as Defensive Coordinator for the Defenders, before being elevated to Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator this past fall.
 
 "I'm excited to announce the addition of Coach Nutt to our Pitt State Football Staff," Wright said. "Lynn has tremendous knowledge of the game of football. He is an outstanding teacher, and his passion for molding young men is impressive. Lynn is responsible for transforming the Dordt University defense to one of the top defenses in the country and is a proven recruiter. We welcome him, his wife, Kara, and their two children, Abigail and Ryker, to the Gorilla Football Family!"
 
Nutt guided a Dordt defense that allowed just 15.2 points per game in 2021. His 2020 squad led the NAIA in quarterback sacks (41 in 10 regular season games) and also ranked No. 1 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in total defense, passing defense, third down conversions and fourth down conversions. In 2019, Dordt led the NAIA in takeaways (34 in 10 games) and led the GPAC in passing defense.
 
Prior to his tenure at Dordt, Nutt spent two seasons (2014-15) as a defensive graduate assistant at Eastern Michigan University. He also spent one season (2013) coaching the defensive line for his alma mater, William Jewell College.
 
A native of Bolivar, Mo., Nutt played tight end and defensive end at William Jewell. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from William Jewell in 2009 and a master's degree in education from Southwest Baptist University in 2011.
 
Anthony has served as defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Gorillas the past two seasons. In 2021, his defensive unit ranked second in the MIAA in scoring defense (19.5 ppg), total defense (341.2 ypg), rushing defense (120.5 ypg) and fourth down conversions (.375).

Anthony came to Pitt State after serving as the Defensive Coordinator at Western Illinois University during the 2019 season. Prior to his time at WIU, Anthony served three years as Defensive Coordinator at Texas Southern University (2016-18).

"Tom has played an integral part in our program's success over the last two years and his leadership has been invaluable," Wright said.
DiMinno served the past two seasons as tight ends coach for the Gorillas. He joined the Pitt State staff after serving as an Assistant Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Toledo in 2019.
 
"Jerry is a really bright young coach, a tireless worker and he provides our wide receivers great knowledge of our offense," Wright said.
 
Fett served the past two seasons as an offensive graduate assistant for the Gorillas, primarily assisting with the offensive linemen. Fett came to Pitt State after serving as an assistant coach at Green County High School in Jefferson, Iowa, during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
 
"Nick is an extremely hard worker and is someone that has already been a major contributor to our offensive staff," Wright said. "He relates really well to our players, and we are fortunate to be able to make him a full-time member of the staff."
 
Weiss served as community relations coordinator and wide receivers coach at Minnesota State University in 2018-19. He will serve as an offensive graduate assistant and assist with the quarterbacks for the Gorillas.
 
Prior to joining the Minnesota State staff, Weiss coached running backs at Dakota Wesleyan University. He also served as a student assistant at the University of South Dakota.
 
"I'm excited to add Kyle to our staff assisting with our offense," Wright said. "He adds playoff experience at the D2 level while he was coaching wide receivers at Minnesota State."