Knoxville Catholic hires Ensworth assistant Dean Cokinos as football coach
Dean Cokinos remains part of Division II-AAA, but is headed east after being named the new Catholic football coach on Thursday.
Cokinos most recently was the linebackers coach at Ensworth in Nashville, which finished this past season with a 7-4 record.
He replaces Korey Mobbs who resigned as coach in November. In the two seasons, Mobbs coached the Irish went 8-12. Last season they were 3-7.
Mobbs was recently named the football coach at Jackson County (Georgia).
"Knoxville Catholic is a special place and I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Fighting Irish football program,” Cokinos said in a press release. "There is a solid foundation in place at Catholic and I'm excited to grow a winning culture and build the Fighting Irish into a top performer in Division II-AAA.”
Cokinos worked as an NFL pro personnel scout for the Tennessee Titans from 2003-2007 and was an Arena Football League coach in Washington D.C. (2016-18), New Orleans (2014-15) and Atlanta (2007-14). While coaching, he also served as general manager in Atlanta and D.C. and director of football operations in New Orleans.
Before his opportunities in the Arena Football League, he coached in the German Football League for nine years, starting in 1994.
IN-STATE TENNESSEE SIGNEES: Josh Heupel's 2023 Tennessee football recruiting class has more in-state signees than in recent years
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Trevor Duncan: Why I signed with Tennessee football
His overall regular season coaching record is 165-86-1 with an 11-6 post-season record and two Arena Football League championships.
“We’re excited to welcome Coach Cokinos to Catholic High," said Dickie Sompayrac, President of Knoxville Catholic High School, in a press release. "He has a solid understanding of the balance between winning and educating young men and developing lifetime skills.
"He is highly experienced in football operations, and player development, and he builds programs that personify class and excellence. We look forward to Coach Cokinos leading the Fighting Irish on and off the field. Our student-athletes are fortunate to have him as their head coach.
Before being an assistant coach at Ensworth, he was the special teams coach at Brentwood Academy for a year in 2020. He was also an assistant coach at the college level at UMass, Austin Peay and West Alabama.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville Catholic football names Dean Cokinos as next coach
