Feature Story: Like Father, Like Son
Now in his fourth year as Georgia State's defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter presided over the most improved in defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2015.
Minter’s rapidly improving defense fueled Georgia State’s stretch run to bowl eligibility as the Panthers earned their first bowl berth, the AutoNation Cure Bowl, in just their sixth season of existence. GSU won its final four regular-seaosn games by holding opponents to 14.25 points and 328 total yards.
For the season, Georgia State led the FBS by allowing 15 points fewer per game than in 2014 and improving by 122.3 yards per game and 1.92 yards per carry against the run. The Panthers finished in the top four in the Sun Belt in scoring defense (28.3 ppg), total defense (405.6 ypg), rushing defense (181.4 ypg) and pass efficiency defense (120.3).
Six Panther defenders earned recognition on the 2015 All-Sun Belt Conference team, led by safety Tarris Batiste, a first-team selection and GSU’s career leader in interceptions, and second-team choice Joseph Peterson, the Panthers’ all-time leading tackler.
Minter was nominated for the 2015 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach, and following the season he was recognized by Scout.com as one of the top recruiters in the Sun Belt.
Minter came to Georgia State in 2013 with head coach Trent Miles, under whom he served as defensive coordinator at Indiana State.
In 2012 in his final season at Indiana State, Minter constructed a defensive unit that ranked third in the FCS in scoring defense, allowing just 14.3 points per game, and sixth nationally in total defense at 296.4 yards per game. The Sycamores also ranked fifth in FCS in pass efficiency defense, 14th in passing yards allowed and 28th in rushing yards allowed.
One of the highlights of the 2012 season was Indiana State’s 17-14 road victory at No. 1-ranked and defending FCS champion North Dakota State. In that game, cornerback Johnny Towalid scored 14 points for ISU by returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns.
Over the 2011-12 seasons, 13 Indiana State defensive standouts earned All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors.
Minter originally joined Miles’ defensive staff at Indiana State in 2009 and was elevated to the coordinator position for the 2011 season. He was a key component in the Sycamores’ remarkable turnaround under Miles that saw ISU post a winning season in 2010 for the first time since 1996. The program added winning campaigns in 2011 and 2012 to give ISU three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 1960s.
Minter went to Indiana State following two years as a graduate assistant at Cincinnati, where he served on Brian Kelly’s staff, working with the defensive staff and assisting in coaching the linebackers. The Bearcats won the Big East Conference title in 2008 and earned a BCS berth in the Orange Bowl. The Cincinnati defense led the nation in takeaways in 2007.
Minter spent the 2006 season as a football intern at Notre Dame, when the Irish posted a 10-3 record.
He played college football at the College of Mount St. Joseph (Ohio), which compiled a school-record 30-10 mark during his four years, including back-to-back conference titles and Division III playoff appearances.
Born in 1983, Minter is one of the nation’s youngest defensive coordinators. The native of Yorktown, Ind., is married to the former Rachelle Wittich, and the couple recently welcomed their first child, daughter Camilla Anne, born in July 2015.
His father is former Cincinnati head football coach Rick Minter, now Georgia State's defensive line coach.
