Ricky Rahne leads the Old Dominion Monarchs into their second season in the Sun Belt, looking to replicate the 2021 form that saw them reach a bowl game for the first time since 2016. Who else makes up the Old Dominion coaching staff for the 2023 college football season?
Old Dominion Monarchs Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Ricky Rahne
After establishing himself as one of the top offensive minds in college football, Ricky Rahne became the head coach of Old Dominion following the departure of Bobby Wilder after the 2019 season. The global pandemic delayed his first season of on-field action, but Rahne guided the Monarchs to their first bowl game since 2016.
During the 2022 college football season, Rahne helped orchestrate two of the biggest wins in program history. The Monarchs defeated Virginia Tech in the season opener before embarrassing Coastal Carolina in Conway. Under Rahne’s tutelage, Jason Henderson earned All-American recognition, marking the first time an Old Dominion player received that honor at the FBS level.
Rahne was a standout quarterback at Cornell and has developed passers at Penn State and Vanderbilt. He led Christian Hackenburg and Trace McSorley to record-setting careers with the Nittany Lions. After spending six years in University Park, he arrived in Norfolk, and his full college football coaching résumé can be found below.
- Holy Cross (defensive line assistant, 2004)
- Cornell (RB coach, 2005)
- Kansas State (offensive graduate assistant, 2006; RB coach, 2007-2008; TE coach, 2009-2010)
- Vanderbilt (QB coach, 2011-2013)
- Penn State (QB coach, pass game coordinator, 2014-2015; TE coach, pass game coordinator, 2016-2017; QB coach, offensive coordinator, 2018-2019)
- Old Dominion (HC, 2019-2023)
MORE: Sun Belt QB Rankings 2023
Offensive Coordinator, Kevin Decker
Kevin Decker begins his first season on the Old Dominion coaching staff in 2023, serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the Monarchs. Although it is his first coaching role at the FBS level, Decker arrives in Norfolk with an extremely impressive FCS résumé that should excite Old Dominion fans about their future offensive output.
Like Rahne, Decker was forced to miss the 2020 season as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the Fordham Rams due to the global pandemic. During that time away from the field, he installed the Josh Heupel offense, resulting in the Rams having one of the most explosive and high-powered offenses in the nation.
Fordham averaged 49.5 points and over 600 yards of offense per game. Under Decker’s tutelage, Tim DeMorat emerged as a potential NFL Draft prospect after leading the nation in touchdown passes, total touchdowns, and passing yards. A former college QB, Decker was a two-year OC and QB coach at the Brunswick School before his college résumé began in 2015.
- Montana State (offensive intern, 2015)
- Brown (TE coach, 2016-2017; OC and QB coach, 2018)
- Fordham (OC and QB coach, 2019-2022)
- Old Dominion (OC and QB coach, 2023)
Defensive Coordinator, Blake Seiler
Blake Seiler serves as the defensive coordinator on the Old Dominion coaching staff and is responsible for coaching the program’s inside linebacker. He joined the Monarchs ahead of the 2020 college football season after spending his entire college coaching career in the Big 12.
In his first season of on-field action, Seiler set the tone for the future shape of Old Dominion’s defenses. He was the Monarchs’ nominee for the Broyles Award, given annually to the best assistant coach in college football, after leading the program to its highest ranking for rush defense in program history. In 2022, he was All-American Henderson’s position coach.
Seiler was a defensive lineman at Kansas State and was named a team captain as a senior. He got his first coaching role with his alma mater in 2009 as a quality control coach.
During his time with the Wildcats, he held various roles including assistant defensive coordinator, LB, and DE coach. He ascended to defensive coordinator in 2018, helping the Kansas State defense to the third-ranked scoring defense in the Big 12. He arrived in Norfolk after spending the 2019 season as the inside linebacker coach for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
MORE: Sun Belt RB Rankings 2023
Special Teams Coordinator, Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith joined the Old Dominion coaching staff as the special teams coordinator in 2020. He also serves as the outside linebackers coach for the Monarchs and has helped develop some of the program’s top pass rush prospects. Prior to joining the Monarchs, the former two-time All-State linebacker was a defensive graduate assistant at Penn State from 2017-2019.
Wide Receiver Coach, Mark Dupuis
After spending three seasons as a graduate assistant at Penn State, Mark Dupuis joined the Old Dominion coaching staff as the wide receiver coach for the 2020 season. He also acts as the Monarchs’ pass game coordinator, helping Ali Jennings to a standout campaign in 2022. Dupuis began his coaching career at Bates College and also spent four seasons at Fordham.
Tight End Coach, Justin Harper
A former wide receiver at Virginia Tech, Justin Harper had a six-year professional career in the NFL (Baltimore Ravens) and CFL before becoming the WR coach at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2013. After stints at Central State and Towson, he joined the Old Dominion coaching staff for the 2022 college football campaign as the tight end coach and offensive recruiting coordinator.
Offensive Line Coach, Alex Huettel
Alex Huettel joined the Old Dominion coaching staff for the 2023 college football season as the offensive line coach. Arriving in Norfolk from Fordham alongside OC Decker, he reprises the OL coach role he held on a Rams team that averaged 196.5 rushing yards per game in 2022. A former graduate assistant at Bowling Green, he also has FBS experience from a stint at Cincinnati.
Defensive Line Coach, Victor Irokansi
After an injury ended his playing career, Victor Irokansi embarked on a coaching career that has seen stints at Eastern Illinois, Texas State, Ole Miss, and his alma mater, Oklahoma State. He joined the Old Dominion coaching staff in 2021 as the DL coach, establishing himself as a developer of talent. Several Monarchs have earned conference accolades under his leadership.
Running Back Coach, Tony Lucas
Tony Lucas joined the Old Dominion coaching staff ahead of the 2020 college football season as the RB coach. He also serves as the Monarchs’ assistant head coach. Lucas helped Blake Watson have one of the most productive seasons in program history in 2021. He previously spent time at Elon, Temple, Delaware, Georgetown, Bowling Green, and Trinity College.
MORE: Sun Belt WR Rankings 2023
Safety Coach, Remington Rebstock
Remington Rebstock began his coaching career as a student assistant at Kansas State in 2009. After working in several roles for the Wildcats, he spent three years at Oklahoma State before coaching the secondary at UTEP. Rebstock joined the Old Dominion coaching staff ahead of the 2020 season, coaching the ODU secondary while serving as assistant defensive coordinator.
Cornerback Coach, Tarron Williams
Following his playing career at Gardner-Webb, Tarron Williams began his coaching career as a student assistant at his alma mater. Stops at Lenoir-Rhyne, James Madison, East Carolina, VMI, and Richmond led him to Old Dominion for the 2023 college football campaign. He’ll serve as the CB coach in his first season in Norfolk, the role he held in his two seasons at Richmond.
