Mike Dietzel, who has 30-plus years of coaching experience at the college and professional level, joined the Eastern Kentucky staff as safeties coach in March of 2021.
EKU’s safeties were a force in 2025 as the Colonels returned to the FCS Playoffs for the 23rd time, as Mike Smith Jr. and Jaheim Ward both earned First Team All-UAC honors.
Smith, who earned All-American recognition, ended the season tied for the most interceptions in the UAC with four and was rated the 10th-best safety in all of Division I football by Pro Football Focus.
His impressive final season in Maroon and White saw him earn unanimous First Team All-UAC honors along with All-American honors from four separate publications as the Jacksonville, Fla. native earned first team recognition from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and AFCA, third team by FCS Central, and fourth team by Phil Steele.
For the season, Smith recorded impressive numbers with four interceptions (tied for the most in the UAC), 63 total tackles, and six pass breakups as a safety.
Smith's interceptions were also timely, with his ones against Tarleton State and North Alabama coming in the final seconds of regulation to seal wins for the Colonels.
The impressive play earned Smith an undrafted free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
Ward made an immediate impact in his first season as a Colonel, posting 66 total tackles, 5 TFLs, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, and eight pass breakups.
His nine passes defended put him in the top 10 of the UAC.
The 2023 season saw the emergence of safety Mike Smith Jr. under coach Dietzel as Smith tied for first in the conference with 13 passes defended consisting of 11 breakups and two interceptions.
Fellow safety Nic Cheeley recorded the second most total tackles on season for EKU with 80.
In 2022, three of EKU's safeties ranked in the top-11 on the team in tackling, led by Nic Cheeley's 57 stops. EKU held No. 15 Southeast Missouri to 10 points in the second half of a comeback victory and limited Central Arkansas to its lowest point total against an FCS opponent of the season.
Safety Joseph Sayles returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown against Austin Peay, while Mike Smith Jr. recorded his first career interception against North Alabama. The Colonels held five different opponents to less than 175 yards through the air.
In his first season in Richmond, EKU safeties recorded five of the Colonels' 13 interceptions on the season. Eastern Kentucky's defense ranked fourth nationally in defensive touchdowns and 15th in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score just 10.1 points per game in the second half.
Sayles tallied three interceptions, broke up three passes, forced one fumble, and block the potential game-tying kick in EKU's victory at Central Arkansas.
Dietzel served as the defensive backs/safeties coach at Ball State during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He helped the Cardinals to a 7-1 record in 2020, a victory over No. 23 Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference Championship game and a win over No. 19 San Jose State in the Offerpad Arizona Bowl.
Ball State ranked 15th nationally in turnovers gained (24) in 2019. In 2020, BSU was seventh in the nation in defensive touchdowns. The Cardinals led the MAC and were 29th in the country with 10 interceptions last season.
“I met Mike in the late 1990s and worked with him at Western Kentucky from 2003 to 2009,” Head Coach Walt Wells said. “I was there when he and Jennifer got married. He’s a really good teacher and a really good recruiter. Mike has seen a lot of very good players and good football. He was a key part of Ball State’s MAC Championship and bowl win. He’s been a defensive coordinator before, so his experience will help our defensive staff. His personality will be infectious to our staff and players. He’s a really good person and a really solid coach.”
Dietzel spent seven seasons at Western Kentucky (2003-09), including three as defensive coordinator. As the linebackers/secondary coach/special teams coordinator, he helped Central Michigan to bowl appearances in three of his four seasons with the Chippewas (2015-18) before joining the Ball State staff. He mentored three-time All-MAC linebacker Malik Fountain and All-MAC safety Kavon Frazier, a 2016 draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys, at CMU
Over nine seasons at Buffalo (2010-14) and CMU, Dietzel’s teams ranked second in the MAC in total defense four times. While serving as the secondary/co-special teams coach and recruiting coordinator, he helped Buffalo to the 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. He helped WKU to two Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearances and then a 7-5 record in the first year of its transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.
Dietzel helped the 2001 Kent State team to its first winning season in 14 years while serving as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
In 2001, Dietzel served as the secondary coach/defensive passing game coordinator for the New York/New Jersey Hitmen of the XFL. His Hitmen team led the XFL in pass defense.
As the running backs/wide receivers/tight ends coach at Army (1995-99) Dietzel mentored a running backs group that led the nation in rushing in 1996 and 1998. He coached in the 1989 Rose Bowl as a graduate assistant outside linebackers coach with Michigan, where he worked under the legendary Bo Schembechler and was on a staff that included Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr.
As the inside linebackers coach at Pennsylvania (1998) he helped the team to a share of the 1988 Ivy League championship.
Dietzel also coached at Colorado (1985-86), Earlham (1987) and Johns Hopkins (1994).
Dietzel played football at Otterbein University, where he was an honorable mention all-conference defensive back in 1983. He earned his bachelor’s degree in educational administration from Otterbein (1985) and his master’s in educational administration from Colorado (1986). Dietzel started the Fellowship of Christian Athletes program at Earlham in 1987. He also coached track & field in his one year at Johns Hopkins.
He and his wife Jennifer, a Bowling Green, Kentucky native, have one son – Taylor.
