Greg Meyer was chosen as Eastern's special teams coordinator and running backs coach on Jan. 7, 2016.
In his first season as special teams coordinator, Meyer tutored the top rated punting unit in the conference and one of the best in the nation. Eastern led the Ohio Valley Conference in net punting (41.19 ypp) and punt return defense (2.5 ypp). The Colonels ranked third and fourth in the nation in those categories as well.
Individually, punter Keith Wrzuszczak was third in the league and 17th in the nation with an average of 42.1 yards per punt. Also, Jared Sanders was second in the OVC and 15th nationally with an average of 26.4 yards per kickoff return. He returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown against Austin Peay, the program’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2011.
Under Meyer’s tutelage as running backs coach, true freshman Daryl McCleskey posted a strong season. He was third on the team with 260 yards, but led the squad with five rushing touchdowns. He also averaged 6.0 yards per carry. In the second to last game of the season, McCleskey ran for 109 yards on 11 carries and scored three touchdowns.
Meyer worked with EKU Head Coach Mark Elder for four seasons before coming to Eastern Kentucky University.
He served as the special teams quality control coach at Tennessee for three seasons (2013-15). Before that he served in the same role during the 2012 season at Cincinnati. Meyer got his collegiate coaching start as a staff intern at Mississippi State in 2009. He then served as a special teams graduate assistant for the Bulldogs during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
“Greg is a rising star in the coaching profession as a special teams coordinator,” Elder said. “His experience at two different SEC programs and winning a Big East Championship is a great asset to our program. We are playing great special teams under his leadership.”
Meyer helped UT to a 9-4 record in 2015 and a second place finish in the Southeastern Conference East Division with a 5-3 mark. It was Tennessee's first winning record in SEC play since 2007.
He earned a bachelor’s in business management and a bachelor’s degree in English from Case Western Reserve University in 2010.
He completed a master’s degree in kinesiology at Mississippi State in 2012. He and his wife Rylee have one daughter.
Greg Meyer Year-By-Year
| Year |
School |
Position |
Notes |
| 2010 |
Mississippi State |
Graduate Assistant - Special Teams |
won Gator Bowl |
| 2011 |
Mississippi State |
Graduate Assistant - Special Teams |
won Music City Bowl |
| 2012 |
Cincinnati |
Quality Control - Special Teams |
Big East Champs, won Belk Bowl |
| 2013 |
Tennessee |
Quality Control - Special Teams |
|
| 2014 |
Tennessee |
Quality Control - Special Teams |
won TaxSlayer Bowl |
| 2015 |
Tennessee |
Quality Control - Special Teams |
9-4, won Outback Bowl |
| 2016 |
Eastern Kentucky |
Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs Coach |
|
| 2017 |
Eastern Kentucky |
Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs Coach |
|
