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Eleven days until their 2025 opener, the Kent State Golden Flashes were officially without a defensive coordinator.
Officially filling the role is Cherokee Valeria, who will now serve as defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Valeria originally received the promotion in July per FootballScoop, but the Golden Flashes did not officially publicly reveal it until Monday, Aug. 19.
Valeria was hired on staff this offseason as Kent State’s defensive backs coach after spending the last six years as the defensive passing game coordinator at Sacramento State of the FCS — notably developing Dallas Cowboys cornerback and 2023 First Team All-Pro selection DaRon Bland. Valeria’s coaching experience dates back to 1998, and he’s spent the majority of his career at the FCS level, highlighted by a 7-year run at Eastern Washington from 2012-18.
To offload some of Valeria’s duties, Kent State hired cornerbacks coach Bart Tanski earlier in August. Tanski, a former Bowling Green quarterback and wide receiver, held special teams coordinator and safeties coach roles at FCS Robert Morris before joining interim head coach Mark Carney’s staff in Kent.
Valeria will spearhead a Kent State defense with plenty of room for improvement. During their 0-12 campaign in 2024, the Golden Flashes fielded the worst scoring defense, run defense, and total defense in the FBS, while also ranking below 110th nationally in passing defense, opponent completion percentage, sacks per game, and takeaways, among a multitude of other categories.
The new defensive coordinator hopes to correct these issues with a refurbished unit. Kent State opens its 2025 season vs. Merrimack of the FCS, granted a golden opportunity to snap the nation’s longest losing streak at 21 games.
Source link : https://www.hustlebelt.com/kent-state-golden-flashes/41359/kent-state-promotes-cherokee-valeria-to-defensive-coordinator
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Publish date : 2025-08-20 05:10:00
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