Keith Gilmore enters his second season as North Carolina's defensive line coach.
A 29-year college coaching veteran, Gilmore has coached previously with fellow UNC defensive assistants Vic Koenning and Dan Disch. Gilmore and Koenning worked together during Koenning's two seasons as the Illini defen¬sive coordinator in 2010-11. Gilmore and Disch were on the Illinois defensive staff in 2009 and 2010.
Last season, Gilmore coached Kareem Martin to his most productive sea¬son as a Tar Heel. Martin posted 21.5 tackles for loss (fifth in the country), 11.5 sacks (ninth in the country) and was third on the team with 82 tackles. Martin was named the national defensive player of the week after a dominating performance at Pittsburgh in which he registered 3.5 sacks and forced two fumbles (recovered one). Martin continued a long tradition of UNC defensive ends in professional football when he was selected in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
Prior to his arrival in Chapel Hill, Gilmore coached four seasons at Illinois. He coached 2013 NFL Draft picks Akeem Spence (DT) and Mike Buchanan (DE), and in 2011, he tutored consensus first-team All-America Whitney Mer¬cilus. Mercilus was named the Ted Hendricks Award winner, given to the nation's top defen¬sive end, and was a consensus All-American. He led the nation in sacks (16.0), sacks per game (1.23) and forced fumbles (9) while breaking the Big Ten record for forced fumbles. The 16 sacks tied Simeon Rice's UI single-season record and Mercilus' 22.5 tackles for loss in 2011 ranked second nationally and third all-time at Illinois. Mercilus was taken in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
Gilmore guided a budding star in 2010 in defensive tackle Corey Liuget, who was a first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 2011 NFL Draft after being named a fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele. Liuget and Akeem Spence combined for 108 tackles, the most by a pair of Illini defensive tackles since 1993, and Spence was named a Freshman All-American by Phil Steele and Rivals.com. Illinois' rushing defense also held five opponents under 100 yards in 2010.
In his first season with the Illinois defensive line, Gilmore tutored a start¬ing four that posted 33 tackles for loss and 14.5 quarterback sacks, including honorable mention All-Big Ten selection Clay Nurse.
Gilmore spent six years with Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly, two with the Bearcats, one at Central Michigan in 2006 and three at Grand Valley State from 1991-93. As assistant head coach and defensive line coach, Gilm¬ore helped lead Cincinnati to a Big East championship and a trip to the 2009 Orange Bowl. He coached a line that ranked ninth in the nation in sacks, averaging nearly three per game. The run defense allowed only 115 yards per game, which ranked 19th in the NCAA and the scoring defense was 25th.
In his two years at UC, Gilmore coached a defensive line that boasted All-American Terrill Byrd, the school's single-season sacks leader in Anthony Hoke, and NFL draft choices Angelo Craig and Connor Barwin. His group proved to be one of the best in the BIG EAST, as the Bearcats defense ranked second in the league in scoring defense (18.8) and rushing defense (114.2).
Prior to Cincinnati, Gilmore mentored a pair of defensive linemen to all-league honors in his only season at Central Michigan. Gilmore went to CMU in 2006, after four seasons as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Howard University. He also was the defensive line coach for the Bison, who led the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in total de¬fense in 2004 and ranked seventh in the nation (297.5 ypg) and again in 2005, while ranking second in the NCAA (255.7 ypg).
Gilmore has held internships with three NFL teams throughout his coaching career. He spent the 1996 summer with the Green Bay Packers' coaching staff, the 2002 summer with the Detroit Lions' scouting department and the 2005 summer with the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers scouting department.
Prior to his time at Howard, Gilmore spent the 1998-2001 seasons at Norfolk State. He was the special teams coordinator and also coached the defensive line and running backs.
A two-time all-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honoree at Wayne State (1979-80), Gilmore began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1985. From there, he served stints at Michigan State (1988), Northern Michigan (1989-90), Grand Valley State (1991- 93), Wayne State (1994) and Eastern Michigan (1995-97).
Gilmore earned his bachelor's degree in rec¬reation management from Wayne State in 1981 and a master's degree in sport administration from Michigan State in 1990. He and his wife, Bridget, have five children, Keith, Kierre, Grant, Keyontay and Grace.
Keith Gilmore Coaching Year-By-Year
2013-present - North Carolina Defensive Line Coach
2009-12 - Illinois Defensive Line Coach
2007-08 - Cincinnati Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line
2006 - Central Michigan Defensive Line Coach
2002-05 - Howard Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
1998-2001 - Norfolk State Defensive Line/Running Backs/Special Teams
1995-97 - Eastern Michigan Running Backs Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
1994 - Wayne State Running Backs Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
1991-93 - Grand Valley State Linebackers/Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
1989-90 - Northern Michigan Running Backs
1988 - Michigan State Graduate Assistant
1985-87 - Wayne State Linebackers/Running Backs
