Josh Zidenberg enters his first season at William & Mary and serves as the special teams coordinator and safeties coach.
Zidenberg comes to W&M after serving as the defense backs coach and special teams coordinator at Western Illinois University last season. His defensive unit helped the Leathernecks rank 23rd nationally in total defense (327.9), 28th in passing yards allowed (192.6), 28th in pass efficiency defense (116.79) and 30th in interceptions (12). The impressive numbers came against the nation’s second toughest schedule according to the Massey Ratings Index.
Among the players who benefited from his tutelage were standout defensive back Justin Fitzpatrick and return specialist Steve McShane, who both garnered All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) honors last season.
Prior to his stint at WIU, Zidenberg coached running backs at Lafayette College in 2017 and was the safeties coach and co-special teams coordinator at VMI from 2015-16.
Zidenberg served as a graduate assistant at the University of Virginia (2009-10) and at the University of Connecticut (2014). He worked with the defense and special teams at UVA, while he helped coach the linebackers at UConn.
Zidenberg broke into the coaching ranks as a scouting/player personal assistant with the Miami Dolphins in 2008.
A three-year letterwinner at the University of Virginia (2004-07), he earned the George Welsh Award for Special Teams Player of the Year (2006) and John Polzer Award for Ability, Character and Sportsmanship (2007).
He graduated from UVA with a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Anthropology and earned a master’s degree in Education in Administration and Supervision.
A standout prep player at Poquoson High School (Poquoson, Va.), Zidenberg was a two-time first-team all-state selection as a running back and safety. He became the fastest player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season (eight games) in the Hampton Roads area and finished his senior year with 2,811 rushing yards, which ranked among the Virginia High School League’s (VHSL) top-10 single-season totals.
Zidenberg and his wife, Lindsey, are the proud parents of a newborn son, Dexter.
