University of Maryland Athletics

Spavital was hired as Maryland’s safeties coach in March of 2023. During that season, his unit was led by All-Big Ten honoree Beau Brade and Dante Trader Jr. Brade and Trader Jr. finished first and third on the team in total tackles, respectively, and combined for three interceptions. Additionally, safety Glendon Miller had a pick-six in Maryland's 31-13 win over Auburn in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl to help secure three straight seasons with a bowl game win for the Terrapins. 

Brade (Baltimore Ravens), Trader Jr. (Miami Dolphins) and Miller (Kansas City Cheifs) are all now playing in the NFL. 

Spavital came to Maryland after four seasons as the defensive coordinator for Texas State. In 18 years as a defensive coach for Texas State, Texas Tech, Houston and Oklahoma, Spavital has overseen defenses that have six times finished top-25 in turnovers forced, twice finishing in the top-10. A 2022 Broyles Award nominee, Spavital guided a defensive unit that improved 56 spots in the national rankings from 2021 to 2022 in total defense and set FBS program records in tackles for loss and nearing the record in sacks and turnovers gained.
 
Spavital has been part of 10 bowl teams during his coaching career and helped lead Oklahoma to two Big 12 Championships in 2006-07, making the Fiesta Bowl in each season. 
 
In 2022, Spavital coached defensive lineman Levi Bell to Third Team All-American plaudits as he totaled a career-high 66 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and 7 quarterback hurries in 12 games. His 13.5 TFLs were an FBS program record for a single season and ninth-most ever by a Bobcat. Spavital’s rushing defense only allowed 116.2 yards per game this past year, a top-25 mark in the nation. 
 
Caeveon Patton and Jordan Revels both earned All-Sun Belt honors under Spavital’s tutelage in 2021. Patton played in 11 games and recorded 51 tackles, including 21 solo stops, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and three quarterback hurries in 2021, while Revels recorded 59 tackles, including 29 solo stops, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and seven quarterback hurries in 12 games.
 
Texas State ranked 47th in forced turnovers (15) and No. 25 in forced fumbles (8) in 2020. The Bobcats ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference after surrendering just 199.3 passing yards per game in 2019.
 
His defense produced a pair of All-Sun Belt Conference defensive players, Jarron Morris and Nico Ezidore, in 2020. Morris was a Second-Team selection as a defensive back, while Ezidore earned Third-Team honors as a defensive lineman.
 
Texas State boasted five All-Sun Belt Conference players in 2019. Heading the list were First-Team linebacker Bryan London II, who ended his career as Texas State’s all-time leading tackler, and Third-Team linebacker Nik Daniels. In addition, defensive tackle Caeveon Patton, cornerback Jarron Morris, and Khambrail Winters were Honorable Mention selections.  
 
Zac Spavital went to Texas State after serving as a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas Tech in 2018. It was Spavital’s fourth season as linebackers coach for the Red Raiders.
 
He helped transform Texas Tech into one of the nation’s top turnover-causing teams in 2017.  The Red Raiders ranked sixth nationally in forced turnovers (29), fourth in fumble recoveries (15) and eighth in defensive touchdowns (4). The defensive output helped Texas Tech lead the Big 2 and rank 13th nationally with a plus-11 turnover margin, the highest margin for the Red Raiders since 1997.
 
One of his linebackers Dakota Allen was a two-time All-Big 12 selection, earning First-Team honors in 2018 and Second-Team in 2017. Allen recorded 73 tackles and recovering two fumbles in 2018 after leading Tech with 102 tackles and picking off a pair of passes.
 
Another linebacker, Jordyn Brooks was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 after leading the Red Raiders in tackles for the second time in three years in 2018 (84). He became the first freshman to lead Texas Tech in tackles during the school’s Big 12 era (86) in 2016. 
 
Brooks garnered All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades and was named to the True Freshmen All-America Team by 247Sports.com in 2016 after finishing fifth among freshmen nationally in solo tackles per game (5.1).
 
Tech forced 25 turnovers during Spavital’s first season in 2015 as the Red Raiders went from a minus-13 in the turnover margin prior to his Spavital arrival to a plus-2 advantage.
 
Spavital began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma in 2005. Tech made a postseason appearance in the 2015 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl and 2017 Birmingham Bowl with Texas Tech.
 
Prior to joining the Red Raider staff in January 2015, Spavital spent seven seasons at Houston coaching defensive backs for the Cougars while also serving as recruiting coordinator under both Kevin Sumlin and Tony Levine.
 
Spavital, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, coached an all-conference performer in each of his final three seasons at Houston. Adrian McDonald and William Jackson both earned all-conference honors in 2014 after McDonald totaled five interceptions and three fumble recoveries to garner first-team accolades while Jackson was named to the second team.
 
The Cougars closed Spavital’s final season in Houston ranked 19th nationally in total defense (334.6 yards per game), 11th in scoring defense (19.5) and ninth in turnovers gained (30). Houston also allowed just 136.3 rushing yards per game to rank 31st nationally.
 
Houston led the nation with 43 turnovers during the 2013 season to help lead the nation with a plus-25 turnover margin. Spavital’s defensive backs unit accounted for 29 of Houston’s 43 turnovers that season as Trevon Stewart set a Houston record with six fumble recoveries while Adrian McDonald led The American with six interceptions. Steward and cornerback Zach McMillian, who also had five interceptions, were both named to the All-American Athletic Conference Second-Team.
 
 In 2012, Spavital’s unit produced three players with All-Conference USA honors, as D. J. Hayden was a First-Team selection, Stewart was on the league’s All-Freshman Team and McMillian earned C-USA Honorable Mention honors. In addition, Stewart was on the FWAA Freshman All-America team as he led all freshmen nationally with 126 tackles. McMillian led Conference USA with five interceptions while Hayden was second with four. In all, Spavital’s group accounted for 14 interceptions.
 
Under Spavital’s leadership, Hayden became the first Houston player selected in the NFL Draft’s First Round since 1997 when he was selected 12th overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2013.
 
Houston’s defense was vastly improved in 2011 and ranked third nationally with 21 interceptions. Hayden was the Conference USA Defensive Newcomer of the Year and was a Second Team All-C-USA pick. Overall the secondary allowed 16 yards less per game through the air despite breaking in three new starters and allowed two less touchdown passes in two more games played.
 
During the 2010 season, Spavital’s four safeties combined for 213 tackles, four interceptions, 3.5 tackles for loss and eight passes broken up.
 
The Cougars recorded 11 interceptions in 2009 with cornerbacks Jamal Robinson and Brandon Brinkley finishing first and second on the team. Brinkley posted four pickoffs for 108 yards was an All-Conference USA Second Team selection. Robinson sealed a victory at No. 5/6 Oklahoma State with a 26-yard return for touchdown. Brinkley finished his career ranked among the Cougars’ all-time career leaders in interceptions, games played and pass breakups.
 
During Spavital’s first season in 2008, Houston’s defensive backs picked off 13 passes with the four interceptions by Brinkley and Loyce Means leading all players.
 
Spavital went to Houston after serving three seasons as the defensive graduate assistant on Bob Stoops’ staff at Oklahoma. There, he worked with the defensive secondary and the scout team. During that span, the Sooners won a pair of Big 12 titles and made two appearances in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
 
Statistically, in each of his three seasons at OU, the Sooners’ defense ranked at the top of the Big 12 and among the elite units in the country for total defense. Oklahoma never finished outside of the top two in total defense in the Big 12, leading the league in both 2005 and 2006, while ranking second in 2007. Nationally, the Sooners ranked 13th in total defense in 2005, 16th in 2006 and 26th in 2007.
 
While at Oklahoma, Spavital helped coach six All-Big 12 performers and five players who signed NFL contracts, including 2007 third-round NFL Draft pick Reggie Smith.
 
Before beginning his coaching career, Spavital played football at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M for two seasons before playing two years at Murray State in Kentucky. He was an All-Conference and All-Region selection and a Gridwire Scholar All-American.
 
Spavital graduated from Murray State in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He has two children, Leah and Hayden.

Updated July 23, 2025