Cort Dennison - Football Coach - University of Louisville Athletic

Cort Dennison

Title:
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers
Email:
cort@GoCards.com

Cort Dennison returned to the University of Louisville football staff in January of 2019 as the co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach.

Dennison’s intense coaching style was instrumental in the unit’s improvement and his hands-on-approach also had an impact on his players, most notably outside linebacker Rodjay Burns, who moved down from cornerback.

Burns recorded a career high 81 tackles and led the squad with 11.0 tackles for loss.

Before coaching the 2018 season at Oregon, Dennison spent four seasons with the Cardinals (2014-17), where he established himself as a quality young coach and one of the best recruiters in the nation.

A Salt Lake City, Utah, native, Dennison coached the outside linebackers and assisted in bringing one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in Oregon history.

For his abilities, Dennison was named to 247Sports’ 30 Under 30 coaching list in 2017 and 2018, and added the AFCA 35 under 35 to his list of accolades, as well.

Before moving west, he ranked seventh on InsidetheACC’s Top 10 Recruiters list after the 2017 season. This past season, Dennison was chosen to ESPN’s 40 under 40.

On the field, Dennison mentored Justin Hollins and Jalen Jelks, both who earned first-team all-Pac 12 accolades, with Hollins being the only player in college football with five sacks, five forced fumbles and an interception. Both players were drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, respectively.

Dennison was the Cardinals’ inside linebackers coach, co-special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 2017. The year prior, he was the assistant secondary coach and recruiting coordinator. Dennison joined the UofL staff in 2014 as a defensive graduate assistant (linebackers) before working as the director of on-campus recruiting in 2015.

With Dennison directing Louisville’s inside linebackers in 2017, Dorian Etheridge, a rising junior on the Cardinals’ roster, earned ESPN Freshman All-America honors after becoming the first true freshman in school history to lead the team in tackles (83).

As assistant secondary coach in 2016, Dennison started his career helping the Cardinals complete the year tied for 22nd nationally and third in the ACC with 15 interceptions. The team ranked 14th in the nation in total defense (322.2 ypg) and 37th in pass defense (207.1 ypg).

Before joining the Louisville staff, Dennison worked as a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky in 2013, where he assisted with the linebackers. In 2012, Dennison was the linebackers coach at Edmonds Woodway High School in Edmonds, Wash.