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Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has announced the addition of Bryan Nardo as the new defensive coordinator for Cowboy football. Additionally, Joe Bob Clements has been elevated to Co-Defensive Coordinator and Tim Duffie has been elevated to Defensive Passing Game Coordinator.
Nardo comes to Stillwater after most recently serving as the defensive coordinator at Gannon University in 2022, the linebackers coach at Youngstown State from 2020-21 and the eight season before that as the defensive coordinator at Emporia State. He holds a 71-35 career record in 10 years as a defensive coordinator and brings 15 total years of college coaching experience with him.
"I cannot thank Coach Gundy and the rest of the staff enough for their openness throughout this entire process and for trusting me with this responsibility," Nardo said. "I am extremely excited to join the rich tradition of Oklahoma State football. I can't wait to get to work and continue to build upon all of the great things that have been done here throughout history. I spent eight years recruiting the state of Oklahoma, seeing first hand the amount of pride people have in this university's athletic programs. There's no better place to be able to represent.
"I am also thankful for Coach Erik Raeburn and Lisa Goddard McGuirk for the opportunities they presented me with at Gannon. Their trust and belief is something I don't feel like I will ever be able to truly repay. Gannon is a special place and I loved every day working there. This is an exciting time for my family. Emma, Dominick, Elijah and I are excited to get to Stillwater and begin building relationships within the community."
In his stint at Gannon last season, Nardo coached the Golden Knights to improvement over the prior season in nearly every defensive category, including scoring defense, yards per play, rush defense, pass defense and total defense. Gannon's total defense average improved from 393.3 in 2021 to 287.4 in his lone season in Erie, Pennsylvania. It was Gannon's lowest total yards per game allowed average in 20 seasons. His players Chris Farnsworth and defensive end Nick White also earned honorable mention All-America honors while helping lead the Golden Knights to an 8-3 overall record.
"I'm excited about the addition of the Bryan Nardo as our defensive coordinator," coach Mike Gundy said. "He's a young energetic, bright football coach who brings 10 years of coordinating experience with him. He's been successful and his innovative system has helped win games everywhere he's been.
"Additionally, I have elevated Joe Bob Clements to Co-Defensive Coordinator and Tim Duffie to Defensive Passing Game Coordinator. They've had a long-term commitment to Oklahoma State and have been a large part of the success of our program."
During his career as a coordinator before Gannon, Nardo coached 25 all-conference linebackers with two of them adding All-America recognition. He was also selected as a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute in 2019.
Before going to Emporia State, Nardo spent a season at Missouri S&T where he was named the Great Lakes Football Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011.
Nardo was a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Ohio University, from 2008-10 and coached the nickel backs and outside linebackers. He served as a student coach from 2004-08 at Ohio, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management in 2008.
A native of Shadyside, Ohio, Nardo graduated from St. John Central High School. Coaching football runs deep in the Nardo family, as his father, Perry, and two brothers, Matt and Luke, are all members of the coaching profession.
Bryan and his wife, Emma, have two sons, Dominick Paul, and Elijah Ray, born on June 20, 2022.