Veteran defensive coach Jordan Gigli joined the Northern Illinois University football staff in January 2019 as defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.
Gigli (pronounced GEE-lee) has seen four of his pupils earn All-MAC honors in each of his first five seasons in DeKalb. Jack Heflin and Weston Kramer earned All-MAC accolades in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and defensive tackle James Ester was a third team All-MAC selection in 2021 and 2022. Ester was a second team All-MAC honoree in 2023 after leading the Huskies with four sacks and adding 6.5 tackles for loss. Devonte O'Malley was a second-team All-MAC honoree in 2022. Heflin and Ester were honored as the Huskies’ defensive most valuable players in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Heflin was signed to a free agent contract by the Green Bay Packers in 2021, while Kramer began his professional career as a member of the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League in 2022.
The defensive line coach at the University of North Dakota from 2014-18, Gigli coached 10 players to all-conference honors, including Mason Bennett, UND’s all-time sack leader and a first-round draft choice of the CFL’s Hamilton Tigercats in 2020. He also coached 2019 Minnesota Vikings pick-up Tank Harris at UND. The Fighting Hawks ranked in the Top 25 in the country (Football Championship Subdivision) in scoring defense and rushing defense in 2018 and were one of the top three teams in the FCS in quarterback sacks and tackles for loss.
During his time at North Dakota, Gigli’s line helped the Fighting Hawks rank as one of the top rushing defenses in the country, and UND was ranked as one of the top two defenses (total defense and rushing defense) in the Big Sky Conference in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 while also leading, or ranking second in the league in tackles for loss and sacks.
Prior to his time at North Dakota, Gigli spent three seasons as defensive line coach at Sacramento State, where he helped tutor first team All-American, and eventual Arizona Cardinals defensive end Zach Nash, At Sacramento State, he also coached Todd Davis (New Orleans Saints, 2014), Darnel Sankey (Denver Broncos, 2016) and Ben Sorenson (Edmonton Eskimos, 2019), who all went on to play professionally.
From 2007-2011, Gigli was the defensive quality control coach at Minnesota. He worked with the defensive line and linebackers and coached the special teams at the same time NIU Head Coach Thomas Hammock was on staff as the running backs coach.Â
Gigli, who was a two-time all-conference player and team captain at Trine University in Indiana, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Western Illinois in 2004-2005, and spent the next year at Division III Playoff team Wittenberg University as defensive line coach before moving on to Minnesota.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration - marketing from Trine in 2003 and a master’s degree from WIU in kinesiology/sport management in 2006. He and his wife, Samantha, have two children, Jack and June.
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