Football | 12/4/2018 3:44:00 PM

December 4, 2018-Emporia State assistant coach Bryan Nardo has been selected to take part in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 2019 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. This year's class was chosen from a field of hundreds of applicants.

Nardo just finished his seventh season at Emporia State, serving as the team's Defensive Coordinator while coaching the linebackers. He has overseen a Hornet defense that has forced 186 take-aways in his seven years. The Hornet Defense has produced 44 All-MIAA performers since 2012 with 18 of his linebackers being honored. Emporia State has gone 59-25 with six winning seasons in his seven years with the Hornets.

Before coming to Emporia, Nardo spent a season at Missouri S&T. Nardo joined the Missouri S&T football program for the 2011 season as the Linebackers Coach / Special Teams Coordinator. He was named the Great Lakes Football Conference Assistant Coach of the Year after helping the Miners improve from a 3-8 record in 2010 to 6-5 in 2011.
 
Nardo was a graduate assistant at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio from 2008-2010. While at Ohio, he coached the nickel backs and outside linebackers. During his last two seasons with the Bobcats, Nardo assisted a defensive unit at Ohio that earned bowl berths, making the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl in 2009 after winning the Mid-American Conference's Eastern Division title and the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl in 2010. Nardo also served as a Student Coach at Ohio from 2004-08, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in sport management in 2008.
 
Nardo graduated from St. John Central HS in Bellaire, Ohio. A native of Shadyside, Ohio, he is the son of Perry and Jayme Nardo. He is married to the former Emma Gilmore.

In order to be eligible for the 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Insitute, applicants had to be born on or after January 1, 1984, and must be currently serving as a high school head coach, two-year college full-time assistant or head coach, or NAIA/NCAA (all divisions) full-time or head coach. Applicants were required to submit a resume, five references, and a 1,600-word article or five-minute live instructional video on an Offensive, Defensive, Special Teams, or position-specific topic of the applicant's choosing.

The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute is a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession. Selected participants are invited to attend the one-day institute that features a curriculum of interactive lectures focused on topics specifically tailored to emphasize leadership in the coaching profession, ethics, influential responsibilities, career progression, and family balance.

Members of the AFCA 2019 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute receive a stipend to assist with expenses incurred while attending the AFCA Convention, provided by the NCAA Leadership Development and the American Football Coaches Foundation. They will be published in the bi-monthly AFCA Magazine, AFCA Insider weekly email blast, and/or have their articles added to the AFCA Educational Library; placed on the AFCA Foundation Committee; and become a part of the great network of rising coaches in the profession along with many other great benefits.

The AFCA 2019 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute will take place on Sunday, January 6, at the AFCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

2019 AFCA 35 UNDER 35 COACHES LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Name    School    Position
Ola Adams    Villanova    Special Teams Coordinator/Cornerbacks
Shawn Bell    Baylor    Offensive Line
Tyler Bowen    Penn State    Tight Ends
Bryan Brown    Appalachian State    Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks
Shane Fidler    Waccamaw HS (SC)    Head Coach
Joe Jon Finley    Missouri    Tight Ends
Erik Frazier    Western Illinois    Wide Receivers
Kory Gribbin    Akron    Tight Ends/H-Backs/Asst. Special Teams Coordinator
Gino Guidugli    Cincinnati    Quarterbacks
Chris Hampton    Tulane    Defensive Backs
Todd Hartley    Miami    Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
Nick Hill    Southern Illinois     Head Coach
Justin Hood    Western Carolina     Outside Linebackers
Tyler Hopperton    Mount St. Joseph     Head Coach
Collin Klein    Kansas State     Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Jordan Langs    Indiana Wesleyan     Head Coach
Kelly Ledwith    Santa Monica College    Head Coach
Brennan Marion    William & Mary    Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Taylor Mazzone    Arizona    Outside Receivers
Eman Naghavi    Louisiana-Monroe    Offensive Line    
Bryan Nardo    Emporia State     Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Jake Olsen    Northwestern State    Safeties/Recruiting Coordinator    
Tim Plough    UC-Davis    Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Justin Rascati    Formerly at UT-Chattanooga    Former Offensive Coordinator
Doug Samuels    Ravenna HS (MI)    Head Coach
Nate Scheelhaase    Iowa State     Running Backs
Joshua Schumacher    Concordia-Ann Arbor    Head Coach
Kyle Segler    Louisiana-Monroe    Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
Austin Silvoy    Middle Tennessee State     Wide Receivers
De'Rail Sims    James Madison University    Running Backs
Josh Stepp    Georgia State    Tight Ends
Patrick Toney    Louisiana    Safeties
Scotty Walden    Southern Mississippi    Wide Receivers
Demario Warren    Southern Utah     Head Coach
Jake Waters    Texas-El Paso    Inside Wide Receivers
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