Jan. 12, 2013

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After stints with Southeastern Conference foes Alabama and Tennessee, former Troy University star defensive back Derrick Ansley has agreed to join Mark Stoops’ coaching staff as an assistant coach in charge of the cornerbacks, Stoops announced Saturday.

Ansley completes Stoops’ defensive staff, joining defensive coordinator/linebackers coach D.J. Eliot, defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh and safeties coach/special teams coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto.

“I’m excited to have Derrick join our staff,” Stoops said.  “He is an outstanding young coach and I am extremely impressed with his football knowledge.  I wanted another coach on the defensive staff who would bring a diversity of knowledge and experience in addition to the system we used at Florida State.  Although Derrick is a young coach, he fits that with three years’ experience in the SEC at Alabama and at Tennessee.”

Ansley joins the Wildcat staff after a one-year term at Tennessee. In his one season, Ansley helped the Volunteers improve their national ranking in interceptions from 86th to 56th. He came to UT in Feb. 2012 after accepting the position of defensive back coach at Central Florida in Dec. 2011.

Ansley was a defensive graduate assistant coach with Alabama in 2010-11, helping the Crimson Tide to a 22-4 record, including the 2011 national championship season. Alabama went 10-3 in Ansley’s first year en route to a win in the Capital One Bowl over Michigan State.  UA was 11-1 in 2011 before he left the team in December. The Tide eventually won the national championship to finish a 12-1 season.

The Crimson Tide had one of the best defenses in the country both years Ansley was on staff, ranking fifth in total defense, third in scoring defense, sixth in pass efficiency defense and 13th in passing defense in 2010. In 2011, Alabama led the nation in total defense, scoring defense, passing defense and pass efficiency defense. Ansley also helped tutor Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie to All-America honors in 2011.

“Coming to Kentucky is a great opportunity to learn from Coach Stoops and Coach Eliot, who obviously have had tremendous success and have great defensive minds,” Ansley said.  “Our goal is to build a championship defense.  I’m also excited about continuing to coach and compete in the SEC.”

Ansley spent five seasons coaching at NCAA Division III Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala. before taking the graduate assistant position with Alabama. During his five-year stint with the Hawks, Ansley helped guide the team to its first-ever winning season and the school’s first playoff appearance. The Hawks posted a winning record four of the five seasons he was on staff, including two eight-win seasons.

The year before Ansley got to Huntingdon, the team had 12 interceptions and 23 pass breakups.  Those numbers improved to 15 interceptions and 44 pass breakups in year one. In Ansley’s final season with Huntington, the Hawks had 22 interceptions and an impressive 56 pass breakups.

Ansley had a very successful collegiate playing career at Troy University, starting 40 consecutive games for the Trojans. The defensive back had a great junior season in 2003, finishing third in the nation in interceptions with nine pickoffs.  He was first-team All-Sun Belt Conference in 2004, Troy’s first season in the league. He graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and was working on his master’s in human environmental sciences at Alabama.

Ansley is originally from Tallassee, Ala., and is married to Alaea Ansley.

Ansley’s Coaching History