David Blackwell enters his fourth season as the Gamecocks’ co-defensive coordinator under head coach John Grass and has helped turn the JSU defense into one of the top units in the nation. He will coach the inside linebackers for the fourth season.
 His first three seasons at JSU have seen unprecedented success for the Gamecocks. They are 33-6 and a perfect 23-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play with three OVC titles over the past three seasons and enter the 2017 season with the longest active conference win streak in all of Division I football at 24 games.
The 2016 season saw Gamecock football continue along the dominant path it has recently paved in FCS Football. JSU reached the No. 1 spot in the major polls for the second-straight year and entered the FCA Playoffs as the No. 3 National Seed, the third-straight season that JSU has been one of the top three seeds in the postseason. The Gamecocks went 10-2 and put together their third-straight perfect record in OVC play, making them the first team in league history to go three seasons in a row without a loss or a tie.
JSU was unbeaten against FCS foes in the 2016 regular season, and Blackwell’s defense was a big part of that. The Gamecocks once again boasted the OVC’s best defense and the fourth-best defense in FCS, holding opposing offenses to less than 275 yards per game. The Gamecocks were also the best in the nation at getting off of the field on third down, limiting foes to a .231 third-down conversion percentage.
JSU also ranked third nationally in red zone defense, fifth in rushing defense, seventh in scoring defense, seventh in sacks, eighth in tackles for a loss and 11th in turnover margin.
Blackwell’s inside linebackers were led by junior Joel McCandless, who earned first-team All-OVC honors after totaling 64 tackles, seven for a loss. He and Quan Stoudemire were third and fourth on the team in tackles, respectively.
The 2015 campaign took Gamecock football to new heights. A 13-2 record included a 12-game win streak that was one shy of the school record and also featured over 50 school records. The Gamecocks’ lone losses were to No. 6 Auburn in overtime and to North Dakota State in the FCS title game.
JSU was ranked No. 1 in the polls for the first time in school history and held that ranking for 11 weeks. The Gamecocks went unbeaten again in the OVC to win their second-straight title and was warded the No. 1 national seed in the FCS Playoffs. JSU stood up to that seeding, downing No. 7 Chattanooga in overtime in the second round before routing No. 8 Charleston Southern and No. 7 Sam Houston State in the quarters and semis, respectively.
The 2015 Gamecocks wreaked havoc on opposing defenses, leading the OVC and ranking 12th nationally in total defense with just 300.3 yards allowed per game. JSU also led the OVC in rushing defense (120.9, 16th nationally) and passing defense (179.4, 18th nationally). The Gamecocks were 13th in turnovers gained and third nationally with 20 interceptions.
First Team All-OVC linebacker Brandon Bender led the JSU defense with 102 tackles, while middle linebacker Dawson Wells also earned First Team All-OVC accolades after notching 99 stops. OVC All-Newcomer linebacker McCandless joined Bender and Wells with double-digit tackles for a loss to pace a unit that notched a school-record 135 tackles for a loss that also led the nation.
In his first season in 2014, Blackwell’s Gamecock defensive unit made great strides, finishing second in the Ohio Valley Conference in total defense and pass defense, while leading the league and ranking 23rd in the nation in rushing defense at just 127.7 yards per game. That stingy defense helped JSU post a 10-2 record, including a perfect 8-0 OVC record and the school’s fourth OVC title.
Blackwell’s linebacker corps was led by senior Ben Endress, who earned All-OVC honors after leading the Gamecocks with 109 tackles and 10.5 for a loss. Fellow linebacker Michael Carlisle added 74 stops, 11.0 for a loss.
In all, six Gamecock defensive players earned All-OVC honors in 2014, led by All-American defensive lineman and OVC Defensive Player of the Year Devaunte Sigler. Cornerback Jermaine Hough also earned All-America honors and joined Sigler and defensive end LaMichael Fanning as JSU’s First Team All-OVC defensive honorees.
Blackwell served the previous two years as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Fordham, while also having experience at South Florida, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Illinois State and East Carolina.
In 2013 under Blackwell, the Fordham defense was one of the top takeaway defenses in the country, leading the NCAA FCS with 40 turnovers gained, and was 21st in defensive passing efficiency.
Before Fordham, Blackwell most recently served as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of South Florida in 2009 and also had stints at Clemson (2003-08), Pittsburgh (2000-02), Illinois State (1998-99) and his alma mater, East Carolina (1992-95).
In 2009, Blackwell directed a South Florida defense that ranked 24th in the country in total defense and tied for 19th in scoring defense. That Bulls squad finished the season at 8-5 and defeated Northern Illinois in the 2010 International Bowl.
Prior to his stay at South Florida, Blackwell was an assistant at Clemson for six years where he was in charge of the linebackers, helping to lead a resurgence in the Tigers’ defense. Clemson was bowl eligible in all six of Blackwell’s seasons on staff with appearances in the 2008 Gator Bowl, 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl, 2006 Music City Bowl, 2005 Champs Sports Bowl and the 2004 Peach Bowl as the Tigers were ranked in the top 25 of both polls in three of those seasons.
Clemson finished in the top 25 in the four major defensive categories each of his last four years, the first time in history Clemson had been in all four stat categories four straight years. Clemson also had a top-20 finish in scoring defense in 2003, meaning the Tigers were in the top 25 in the most important defensive category four of the five years Blackwell was on the staff.
The Greenville, S.C. native was the linebackers coach at Pittsburgh from 2000-02 and helped the Panthers to three straight bowl games during that period (2000 Insight.com, 2001 Tangerine and 2002 Insight.com).
Prior to his stop at Pittsburgh, Blackwell served as assistant coach at Illinois State from 1996-99. He played a major role in one of the top turnarounds in Division I-AA during that period. In his final year with the Redbirds, Illinois State compiled a school-best 11-3 record and advanced to the semifinals of the Division I-AA playoffs before losing to eventual National Champion Georgia Southern.
Blackwell got his start in coaching at his alma mater (East Carolina) as rush linebackers coach from 1992 until 1995. The Pirates earned trips to the Liberty Bowl in two of those seasons.
A 1997 graduate of East Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, Blackwell was an offensive lineman as a freshman for the Pirates in 1990 before his playing career was cut short by a neck injury. He remained close to the program and started his coaching career as a student assistant on the 1992 coaching staff.
Blackwell is married to the former Melissa Androutsos, who served as the sports information director for men’s basketball at Pittsburgh during the couple’s time with the Panthers’ athletics department. The couple has a son, D.J.Â
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