Andy LaRussa joined the WKU Football coaching staff in December 2018 and currently serves as the team's Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator. The 2025 season will be his seventh with the Hilltoppers.
LaRussa has coached several of the top special teams players in Conference USA since joining the program, including WKU's first CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year, Lucas Carneiro, who claimed the award in 2024 after going 17-for-18 on field goals with 17 straight makes. The 17 made field goals are the longest streak in program history, and included an impressive six-for-six on field goals of 50-plus yards. There were two makes of 54 yards, which were tied for the second-longest makes in program history, and a game-winning kick against Jax State in the regular-season finale that sent the Hilltoppers to the CUSA Championship Game. Carneiro became the only CUSA kicker to go 6-for-6 from 50-plus yards in a season since 1996, while only four others have gone at least 3-for-3. Carneiro finished the 2024 season fourth in the league in scoring, second in the league in scoring by a kicker, second in the league in field goals made and first in the league in field goal percentage. He was named CUSA's Special Teams Player of the Week three times, he was a First Team All-CUSA selection and he was the only kicker in the league that was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award.
In 2024, LaRussa also oversaw long snapper Rex Robich, who was a Second Team All-CUSA selection, and punter Cole Maynard, who was a member of the 2024 Ray Guy Award Watchlist and named a CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week during the season.
The 2024 WKU Football team was second in CUSA in points scored kicking, first in field goals made and field goal percentage, second in PAT kicks made, first in PAT kicking percentage, third in kick return yards, third in punt return yards and third in kickoff coverage.
LaRussa was originally hired in December 2019 as WKU’s Special Teams Coordinator and Safeties Coach. He promoted to assistant head coach following the 2021 campaign, and in 2022 and 2023 he served as the Tight Ends Coach in addition to his Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator duties.
LaRussa oversaw a trio of All-CUSA Honorable Mention Special Teams selections in 2023 with Carneiro, kick returner Easton Messer and long snapper Trey Naughton. That season, he also developed all members of the CUSA All-Freshman Team for Special Teams with Carneiro, Messer, Naughton and punt returner KD Hutchinson, as well as tight end Noah Meyers.
The 2023 Hilltoppers were first in CUSA and 10th nationally in blocked kicks with three, including two in critical moments late to help the team come back against Old Dominion in the Famous Toastery Bowl victory. WKU was third in CUSA in both kickoff returns and kickoff return defense – and ninth nationally in the latter – third in CUSA in punt return defense.
LaRussa's tight ends room in 2022 was led by Joshua Simon, a Second Team All-CUSA selection that year. He also oversaw All-CUSA Special Teams Honorable Mention picks in kicker Brayden Narveson, long snapper Jake Bowman and punter Tom Ellard – the final of which was also on the All-Freshman Team that season. Simon posted seven touchdowns on 20 catches, finishing with 273 yards, and fellow tight end Joey Beljan finished the year with four touchdowns and 273 yards on 15 catches. LaRussa's kickers made 18 field goals, including three from Cory Munson in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl victory over South Alabama, were a perfect 64-for-64 on PATs during the season.
In 2021, Narveson was named an All-CUSA Second Team kicker under LaRussa's tutelage while safeties A.J. Brathwaite, Jr. and Antwon Kincade were All-CUSA Honorable Mention selections on defense and punter John Haggerty, returner Beanie Bishop and Bowman were All-CUSA Honorable Mention picks on special teams.
LaRussa helped the WKU defense rank eighth in pass yards allowed (177.3), 28th in total yards allowed (348.7) and 41st in points allowed (25.3) per game in 2020. Safeties Devon Key and Kincade started all 12 games for the Hilltoppers and were the team's top two tacklers. They combined for 177 total tackles (103 solo, 74 assisted), 11 pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Key recorded his sixth career interception in the Lending Tree Bowl, while Kincade tied for fifth on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss. In Conference USA's postseason awards, Key was voted to the All-CUSA Second Team, while Kincade garnered Honorable Mention status.
Key capped his Hilltopper career as one of the most accomplished defenders in program history. In four years, he started 49 of a possible 50 games at safety, including 43 straight dating back to the 2017 season. With 350 career tackles, he set the program's FBS Era (since 2009) record, surpassing Andrew Jackson's 326 tackles from 2010-13. Those 350 career tackles also placed him 10th on the all-time charts in WKU's 102-season history, and ranked fourth among FBS players who were active for the 2020 season.
On the special teams side, Haggerty provided continued success following his record-setting debut season. The Australian punted 56 times for 2,560 total yards and a 45.7-yard average, which ranked seventh in FBS and second in CUSA (Lucas Dean of UTSA, 46.0-yard average). Haggerty now owns the first- (45.9-yard average in 2019) and second-best punting seasons in WKU's 102-season history.
After transferring to WKU in the summer, Narveson won the starting kicking job during fall camp and didn’t look back. The redshirt sophomore made 13-of-14 field goal attempts and was a perfect 27-of-27 on extra point tries in 2020, scoring 66 total points in 12 games. His 93% field goal mark tied for third among all FBS kickers and ranked second for a single season all-time in WKU history to Garrett Schwettman’s 15-of-16 (94%) performance in 2015. He was only 1-of-20 FBS kickers listed as a Lou Groza Award Semifinalist, the first Hilltopper to do so since Schwettman in 2015.
Both Narveson and Haggerty were voted All-CUSA Second Team by the league's coaches.
In LaRussa's first season on The Hill in 2019, Key and Kincade were both voted Conference USA Honorable Mention. Kincade was also PFF College Honorable Mention All-American and a PFF College CUSA First Teamer. Kincade had a 89.1 overall PFF rating and a 91.1 run defense rating which was seventh and first respectively. He had a 89.1 overall PFF rating (seventh among FBS safeties) and a 91.1 run defense rating (best among FBS safeties). Key earned CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors at Arkansas.
As a team, WKU produced a top-25 overall defense, as the Hilltoppers completed one of the best defensive seasons in program history. WKU allowed only 20.1 total points per game, which was the lowest mark for the program since 2004 and ranked No. 22 in FBS.
WKU held opponents to a 29.7% rate (51-of-172) on 3rd down attempts, which ranked sixth in FBS and was the lowest mark for the program since a 30.1% rate (49-of-163) on opponent third down tries in 1987. The Hilltoppers ranked third in FBS with only 82 missed tackles all season long. With 835 total plays in 13 games, that equated to about 6.3 per contest and one every 10 snaps. Only Michigan (74) and Air Force (81) had better such numbers. WKU also ranked among the best in the nation in a handful of other statistics: 15th with 224 first downs allowed, 19th in red zone defense with a scoring rate of 75.8%, 24th in total defense with 335.5 yards allowed per game and 28th with 200 passing yards allowed per game. The Hilltoppers allowed only 142 plays of 10-plus yards all season – which ranked tied for 10th in the country – and was down from 180 such plays WKU allowed in 2018.
On the special teams side, Haggerty was named First Team All-CUSA, the first Hilltopper punter since Brian Claybourn in 2003 and 2004 to be voted First Team All-Conference. He also set the all-time WKU program record with 45.9 yards per punt. This mark ranked 13th in FBS, while his 42.1-yard net average was 10th. He had 17 kicks of 50+ yards after WKU had 18 such kicks from 2016-2018 combined and also had 50+ yard punts on 38% of his 46 punts, which ranked ninth in FBS.
LaRussa helped guide Munson, a true freshman that season, through his first season of college football. Munson's 52-yard game-winning kick in the First Responder Bowl was only the 26th walk-off field goal in a bowl game since 2000, and of those 26, only one other was made from 50-plus yards. He was also a two-time CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week – at FIU and vs. UAB. Meanwhile, long snapper Jared Nash was named Second Team All-CUSA. In terms of kick and punt operation time, the Hilltoppers were 1-of-29 teams nationally and 1-of-2 CUSA clubs with zero kicks blocked. On the flip side, WKU was 1-of-30 nationally and 1-of-3 CUSA teams with three or more blocked kicks.
LaRussa came to The Hill following one season as a Special Teams Analyst at the University of Southern California.
As an assistant with the Trojan special teams, LaRussa helped USC to the third-best punt return unit in the Pac-12 (10.5 per return) and a league-high pair of return touchdowns in the punt game from Tyler Vaughns and Devon Williams. The Trojans were equally as dangerous in the kickoff return unit as their 22.6 yards per return ranked No. 4 in the Pac-12. Sophomore Velus Jones continued his climb into USC’s career kick return yardage list and finished the 2018 campaign inside the top 10. The Trojans also led the Pac-12 with four blocked kicks.
Prior to his move to Los Angeles, LaRussa spent three seasons at UNLV as the Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties Coach. Converted quarterback Troy Hawthorne picked up All-Mountain West Honorable Mention accolades after a 2016 season in which he posted 107 tackles, second-most among all Rebel defenders, to go along with 5.5 tackles for loss, four passes defended and five forced fumbles. Hawthorne’s five forced fumbles led the MWC that season.
Before UNLV, LaRussa spent the previous two seasons at Colorado, overseeing the cornerbacks in 2013 and the defensive ends in 2014. LaRussa’s premier pupil, junior corner Greg Henderson, enjoyed a stellar campaign in which he played the most snaps by a Buff on defense (897), finished third on the team in tackles with 68 (48 solo) and had four interceptions – the ninth-most by any defender in the Pac-12.
He moved to Boulder after two seasons at San Jose State, coaching the cornerbacks and serving as Assistant Special Teams Coordinator for the Spartans. His first assistant job came at Northern Arizona in 2009-10 after spending four seasons as a defensive graduate assistant for the Rebels from 2005-08.
LaRussa played for two seasons at Glendale (Calif.) College before transferring to Southern Utah, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2002. He played professionally for a brief time with the Ostia Marines of NFL Italy and also was a member of the Italian National Team.
He holds dual citizenship in the United States and Italy. Born in Reno, Nevada, LaRussa graduated from St. Francis High School, where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He is married to the former Briana Bernardi, a former UNLV softball player, and the couple have two daughters: Giana and Alessandra.
