Luther Elliss - Football Coach - University of Utah Athletics

Luther Elliss

Title:
Defensive Tackles

Defensive Tackles
4^th Year

Former Utah All-American Luther Elliss enters his fourth season as the Utes’ defensive tackles coach after being named to the role in January 2022. In his time with the program, Elliss’ players have earned five All-Conference and two Freshman All-America awards.

Anchored in the middle by the duo of Junior Tafuna and Keanu Tanuvasa, the Utes began a new era in 2024 in the Big 12. Both picked up All-Conference laurels after Utah posted a top-three conference ranking in total defense, points allowed and TFL per game, while also placing fourth in the Big 12 in rushing defense.

With that duo of players instrumental in 2023, the defensive tackles room put on a season that culminated with the program’s 10^th straight season of bowl eligibility—even as the injury bug hit virtually every position group on the team. Tafuna was voted Pac-12 All-Conference for the third straight season, while Tanuvasa earned CFN Freshman All-America Honorable Mention.

Utah was once again among the nation’s toughest teams to beat on the ground. With the guys in the trenches leading the charge, the Utes had the fourth-leading rushing defense in FBS allowing 82.8 yards per game. It included 3.1 yards allowed per rush attempt, ranking sixth-fewest of all Power Conference programs.
As a group, the defensive tackles combined for 8.0 third-down stops. Tafuna and Tanuvasa combined for 9.0 TFL and 3.5 sacks, with the team’s average of 2.77 sacks per game ranking No. 16 in FBS.
Tanuvasa’s Freshman All-America nod marked the second straight season that a Utah defensive tackle received the award.

The 2022 season—Elliss’ first back at his alma mater—saw the Utes win their second straight Pac-12 Championship and return to the Rose Bowl Game. Simote Pepa was tabbed CFN Freshman All-America, while Pepa (First Team AP) and Tafuna (Second Team Coaches) each took home Pac-12 All-Conference laurels for 2022.

Even with a young room, Elliss’ group paced a Utah defense that lived up to its reputation as one of most physical in the country. The squad led the Pac-12 in both tackles for loss per game (6.4) and sacks per game (2.93) with the latter ranking No. 14 in FBS.
Thirteen TFL on the season came from the defensive tackles, with Utah’s 90 TFL as a team going on the books as ninth-most in program history.

Elliss arrived with the Utes after spending five seasons (2017-21) at the University of Idaho as the defensive line coach. While with the Vandals, his defensive linemen accumulated seven All-Conference awards.

In the fall of 2021, he saw the defensive unit finish the year ranked 16^th in the FCS in sacks per game (2.82) with two of his defensive linemen earning All-Big Sky honors (Charles Akanno, Noah Elliss).
During the Spring 2021 season, Elliss led both Jonah Kim and Rahsaan Crawford to All-Big Sky selections with the Vandal front seven helping Idaho to lead the conference in rushing defense. The Vandal defense finished the spring ranked in the top-25 in the FCS in rushing defense, tackles for loss and red zone defense.
In his first season with Idaho in 2017, he led two all-conference selections on the defensive line (Aikeem Coleman, Arie Anderson) with the Vandals ranking in the top-five in the Sun Belt in tackles for loss, fumbles recovered, scoring defense, total defense and sacks. Elliss also saw the Vandals rack up 21 sacks in 2018, his second year on staff.

Elliss played collegiately at Utah from 1991-94, earning consensus All-America honors and WAC Defensive Player of the Year in 1994. He also earned three all-conference selections while in Salt Lake City.

Elliss was selected 20^th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft, starring for the Detroit Lions for nine seasons. During his career in the NFL, he started 119 of 134 regular-season games and had 331 tackles and 29 sacks. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1999 and 2000.

A native of Mancos, Colorado, Elliss was born March 22, 1973. He and his wife, Rebecca, have 12 children – seven of whom are adopted.

Coaching Experience