Oklahoma reportedly hiring Eastern Michigan's Jay Nunez to oversee special teams in off-the-field position

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has reportedly added another piece to his staff.

According to Football Scoop’s Zach Barnett, the Sooners are hiring Eastern Michigan’s Jay Nunez to oversee special teams from an off-the-field position.

Oklahoma is hiring Eastern Michigan special teams coordinator Jay Nunez to oversee special teams from an off-the-field position, sources tell @FootballScoop.https://t.co/G3pgjs4kXS

Global Tech News Daily

— Zach Barnett (@zach_barnett) January 21, 2022

Nunez joined Eastern Michigan ahead of the 2017 season as the Eagles’ special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. In addition to his special teams duties, the Alva, Okla., native also served as Eastern Michigan’s co-recruiting coordinator in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

In 2020, Nunez also coached defensive tackles for Eastern Michigan. Then, before this past season, Nunez was named the assistant head coach.

On Oct. 23 against Bowling Green this year, Eastern Michigan tight end Jere Getzinger blocked a punt and defensive back David Carter Jr. returned it 42 yards for an EMU touchdown. That extended a streak where Eastern Michigan blocked at least one punt, field goal or extra point in every season under Nunez’s leadership.

In 2020, Nunez and Eastern Michigan limited opponents to just 0.75 yards per punt return which ranked No. 10 nationally. During the 2019 season, punter Jake Julien set EMU’s single-season punting mark average of 43.8 yards per boot. In 2018, Eastern Michigan ranked second nationally in punts downed inside the five, fourth in punts downed inside the 10 and 23rd in punts downed inside the 20.

Before his five-year stint at Eastern Michigan, Nunez spent one season at Southern Illinois as the Salukis’ special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.

Southern Illinois led the Missouri Valley Conference in kick return average and ranked eighth nationally. At SIU, Nunez’s special teams units pulled off a successful fake PAT (vs. South Dakota State), a fake punt (vs. Murray State) and a fake field goal (vs. No. 23 Western Illinois). With Nunez as his tight ends coach, then-freshman Jacob Varble started 10 games, caught 16 passes for 202 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Nunez also served as Minnesota’s quality control assistant for special teams from 2011-15 under Gophers head coach Jerry Kill.

Nunez’s coaching start came at his alma mater Pittsburgh State where he worked with the offensive and defensive lines for two seasons. As a player at Pittsburgh State, Nunez was a four-year letter winner.

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