Bio

Nick Lopez joined the Defiance football coaching staff in May 2026 as the Special Teams Coordinator and Linebackers Coach.

Coach Lopez brings a wealth of coaching experience with 7 seasons at the NCAA Division II, III, and JUCO levels. He coaching journey began at Glenville State for the 2019-20 seasons as an assistant defensive backs coach, starting a 6-year track of mentoring in the secondary. He worked with defensive backs at Geneva College (2021), UVA Wise (2022-23), and Cornell College (2024). He also has 3 seasons of experience as a coordinator. He doubled as the Special Teams Coordinator and defensive backs coach at UVA Wise for 2 years before serving as the Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach at Ellsworth Community College in 2025. Before coming to Defiance, Lopez joined the Anna Maria College staff for the spring of 2026 and also spent one spring at Garden City Community College in 2024.

Lopez has worked directly with several decorated players who went on to professional careers. At Glenville State, Delonte Hood was an All-American and went on to play in the NFL with the Bengals, Broncos, and Cardinals before landing in the CFL with Toronto. He also coached Robert Carter at UVA Wise, who was an All-American and earned an invite with the Baltimore Ravens before landing with the BC Lions in the CFL. His lone season at Ellsworth garnered 8 All-Region players, finished 7th in the country in interceptions, and posted the team's first season with more than 1 win in 7 years.

Lopez played college football at Division II Glenville State and Frostburg State as a defensive back. He completed his degree in Fine Arts at Frostburg State in 2019. He was also an All-State player in his home state of West Virginia at Martinsburg High School.