Colorado State University Athletics
Football
Jancek, John
John Jancek
- Title:
- Outside Linebackers
John Jancek returned to Colorado State in January 2025 to coach the outside linebackers. Jancek is no stranger to Colorado State, serving as the Rams’ Defensive Coordinator from 2018-19 under head coach Mike Bobo. Jancek spent the 2024 season with Colorado State as a volunteer, assisting the offense.
As a coaching veteran with over three decades of coaching experience, with stops at Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Cincinnati among others. In his five seasons at Georgia from 2005-09, the Bulldogs won 48 games, made a pair of BCS Bowl appearances, won the 2005 SEC title and finished ranked in the Top 10 three times.
He followed that with three seasons as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati from 2010-12 helping lead the Bearcats to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2011 and 2012.
Jancek returned to the SEC in 2013 as the defensive coordinator at Tennessee from 2013-15. He coached safeties at South Florida in 2016 and served as the defensive coordinator at Colorado State from 2018-19.
Prior to LSU in 2022, Jancek served as a defensive quality control assistant at Georgia where he was part of the 2021 national title team.
He got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant on Chip Kelly’s first staff at Grand Valley State in 1991. From there, Jancek jumped right into a defensive coordinator role at Wayne State for three years (1992-94), followed by three more seasons (1996-98) of overseeing the defense at Hillsdale.
He returned to Kelly’s Grand Valley State staff as defensive coordinator from 1999-2002 where he helped lead the program to NCAA Division II National Championship in 2002. The Lakers posted a 13-1 mark in 2001 and advanced to the national title game.
Jancek coached the defensive line at Central Michigan in 2003 before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 2004.
Personal Information
Hometown: Muskegon, Mich.
Family: Wife – Kelly / Children – Zac, Brock, Jack, Brady
Education: Grand Valley State, 1991 (Bachelor's) / Wayne State, 1994 (Master's)
Birthday: April 1
Jancek Experience
2024-Present: Colorado State (Volunteer Assistant, 2024; Outside Linebackers, 2025-Present)
2022-23: LSU (Senior Analyst – Defense, 2022; Special Teams Coordinator, Outside Linebackers, Spring 2023; Defensive Line, Fall 2023)
2020-21: Georgia (Quality Control – Defense)
2018-19: Colorado State (Defensive Coordinator)
2017: Kentucky (Consultant)
2016: South Florida (Safeties)
2013-15: Tennessee (Defensive Coordinator)
2010-12: Cincinnati (Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers)
2005-09: Georgia (Linebackers, 2005-08; Co-Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers, 2009)
2003-04: Central Michigan (Defensive Line, 2003; Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Line, 2004)
1999-2002: Grand Valley State (Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers)
1996-98: Hillsdale College (Defensive Coordinator)
1996: Central Florida (Defensive Tackles)
1992-94: Wayne State (Defensive Coordinator)
1991: Grand Valley State (GA)
Playing Career (Defensive Line)
College: Grand Valley State (1986-90)
As a coaching veteran with over three decades of coaching experience, with stops at Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Cincinnati among others. In his five seasons at Georgia from 2005-09, the Bulldogs won 48 games, made a pair of BCS Bowl appearances, won the 2005 SEC title and finished ranked in the Top 10 three times.
He followed that with three seasons as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati from 2010-12 helping lead the Bearcats to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2011 and 2012.
Jancek returned to the SEC in 2013 as the defensive coordinator at Tennessee from 2013-15. He coached safeties at South Florida in 2016 and served as the defensive coordinator at Colorado State from 2018-19.
Prior to LSU in 2022, Jancek served as a defensive quality control assistant at Georgia where he was part of the 2021 national title team.
He got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant on Chip Kelly’s first staff at Grand Valley State in 1991. From there, Jancek jumped right into a defensive coordinator role at Wayne State for three years (1992-94), followed by three more seasons (1996-98) of overseeing the defense at Hillsdale.
He returned to Kelly’s Grand Valley State staff as defensive coordinator from 1999-2002 where he helped lead the program to NCAA Division II National Championship in 2002. The Lakers posted a 13-1 mark in 2001 and advanced to the national title game.
Jancek coached the defensive line at Central Michigan in 2003 before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 2004.
Personal Information
Hometown: Muskegon, Mich.
Family: Wife – Kelly / Children – Zac, Brock, Jack, Brady
Education: Grand Valley State, 1991 (Bachelor's) / Wayne State, 1994 (Master's)
Birthday: April 1
Jancek Experience
2024-Present: Colorado State (Volunteer Assistant, 2024; Outside Linebackers, 2025-Present)
2022-23: LSU (Senior Analyst – Defense, 2022; Special Teams Coordinator, Outside Linebackers, Spring 2023; Defensive Line, Fall 2023)
2020-21: Georgia (Quality Control – Defense)
2018-19: Colorado State (Defensive Coordinator)
2017: Kentucky (Consultant)
2016: South Florida (Safeties)
2013-15: Tennessee (Defensive Coordinator)
2010-12: Cincinnati (Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers)
2005-09: Georgia (Linebackers, 2005-08; Co-Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers, 2009)
2003-04: Central Michigan (Defensive Line, 2003; Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Line, 2004)
1999-2002: Grand Valley State (Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers)
1996-98: Hillsdale College (Defensive Coordinator)
1996: Central Florida (Defensive Tackles)
1992-94: Wayne State (Defensive Coordinator)
1991: Grand Valley State (GA)
Playing Career (Defensive Line)
College: Grand Valley State (1986-90)
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