Billy High joined the EKU football program in the summer of 2016 as the defensive quality control coach.
This past season, the EKU defense allowed fewer passing yards than any Eastern team since 2009 and fewer passing touchdowns (12) than any Colonel defense since 2005 (9). Eastern led the OVC and was sixth in the country with 13 fumbles recovered. The Colonels were 25th in the nation with 23 forced turnovers.
On Oct. 22, Eastern Kentucky’s defense held No. 2 Jacksonville State without an offensive touchdown, the first time a defense had done that to the Gamecocks since 2012. The Colonels also held JSU to 106 yards below their offensive average.
High got his start in coaching as an assistant in football recruiting as a student at the University of Tennessee in 2009 and 2010.
From 2012 to the spring of 2016, High served on the coaching staff at the Christian Academy of Knoxville High School. He was a student assistant coach during the 2012 season. He joined the school as a math teacher in the summer of 2013. From 2013 through the 2015 season, High was the running backs, defensive backs and assistant special teams coach for Christian Academy. In the summer of 2015, High became the assistant head coach of the varsity team and the junior varsity head coach.
High helped Christian Academy of Knoxville win two state championships.
Before joining the EKU football program, High spent the spring of 2016 as the assistant offensive coordinator, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Karns High School.
High earned a bachelor’s of science in mathematics from UT in 2012 and a master’s in math education in 2015.
