Goins promoted by Almond to defensive coordinator
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head football coach Tyler Almond has announced the promotion of Caleb Goins to replace him as the program’s next defensive coordinator.
VIDEO: Caleb Goins Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head football coach Tyler Almond has announced the promotion of Caleb Goins to replace him as the program's next defensive coordinator.
Goins will continue to coach inside linebackers.
"Caleb Goins was very deserving of this promotion to defense coordinator," Almond said. "Caleb is one of the bright young coaches I've been around and I know he will continue our success on the defensive side of the ball. He is extremely organized and thorough. He has great leadership qualities and is very familiar with Carson-Newman Football and what this university represents."
Goins will be the youngest defensive coordinator in school history, besting Jim Deaton (30 when he took over in 1980) by four years when the season starts.
"It's been a crazy past few weeks, but I could not be more thankful or bless for the opportunity," Goins said. "From my first job as quality control to linebackers, when the opportunity presented itself, it was a no brainer for me and my family. I cannot wait to get started."
Goins is headed into his fourth season as an assistant with C-N.
He tutored Cruz Temple to all-region honors last season.
In 2024, Goins aided in the development of Christian Hicks and Mekhi Brown, who both earned all-league honors from the South Atlantic Conference at the conclusion of the season.
In his first year on the Carson-Newman coaching staff, Caleb Goins was instrumental in the development in Mekhi Brown. Brown earned All-Mountain Division honors and was the South Atlantic Conference's Defensive Freshman of the Year. Brown turned in a stellar freshman campaign that saw him earn conference player of the week honors on two occasions. He was the seventh Eagle to win the defensive honor and the 13th to be presented with either the defensive or offensive freshman of the year accolade. Brown led Carson-Newman with 71 tackles. He also tallied 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, picked off two passes (one of which he returned for a score), recovered two fumbles and blocked a kick.
A 2022 graduate of Carson-Newman, Goins earned postseason accolades for the first time in his career after finishing fourth on the team in tackles. He finished the year with 46 tackles and four tackles for loss. His top performance was against Emory & Henry (10/29) when he had eight stops playing just outside his hometown.
That was one of five days on the year for Goins where he had at least five tackles. He also had a seven-tackle day against Franklin Pierce in the Eagles home opener on Sept. 10. Goins concluded his Carson-Newman career with 112 career tackles and 13 tackles for loss.
Goins is married to the former Kendra Hickman.
