Mike Scherer, who served as Barry Odom's defensive coordinator at UNLV for the past two seasons, has joined Odom at Purdue. Scherer (SHEER) is in his first season as the team's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
UNLV's defense was one of the nation's most disruptive over the past two seasons with Scherer leading the way. The Rebels forced 50 turnovers, including 34 interceptions over the past two years. The turnovers forced ranked fourth in the country over that span, while the INTs were second-most by any team in the nation. UNLV also cracked the Top 25 in sacks (67) and TFL (171) throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons combined.
Helping the Rebels win 11 games throughout the 2024 season, Scherer's defense ranked in the nation's Top 25 in several categories: fourth in interceptions (17), 15th in sacks (2.93 per game), 18th in third down percentage defense (.323), 20th in tackles-for-loss (7.0 per game), 22nd in rushing defense (115.0 ypg) and 24th in team passing efficiency defense (117.09). The rush defense led the Mountain West and limited opponents to 115 yards per game despite facing Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty, the nation's leader by more than 800 rushing yards, twice.
Scherer coached two All-Americans in 2024, guiding linebacker Jackson Woodard and safety Jalen Catalon. Woodard landed on several All-America lists while being named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. In the historic season for a UNLV linebacker, Woodard's 135 total tackles finished third in program history and ranked fourth in the FBS. He also cracked the nation's Top 20 with 17 tackles-for-loss. He ranked third in the Mountain West with four interceptions and fourth with 12 passes defended. He was just one of six players since 2005 to record at least 135 total tackles, 15 tackles-for-loss and four interceptions. Catalon was named an AP Third Team All-American and Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist, an award presented to the nation's top defensive back. He recorded 96 total tackles and five interceptions and was the only FBS defensive back to have at least 85 tackles and five interceptions this season.
Overall, the 2024 defense featured two First Team All-MW selections (Woodard and Catalon), two Second Team All-MW selections (defensive lineman Antonio Doyle and defensive back Jonathan Baldwin) and three Honorable Mention All-MW selections (defensive lineman Alexander Whitmore and defensive backs Jett Elad and Cameron Oliver).
Scherer's first season at the helm saw the Rebel D help the program win a regular-season co-championship and reach a bowl game for the first time in a decade. UNLV tied for fourth in the nation with 17 interceptions and finished tied for 17th in the country with a turnover margin of plus-eight after forcing at least one turnover in 13 of 14 games.
Leading his linebacker room was Woodard, who totaled 117 tackles en route to First Team All-Mountain West honors and being named Mountain West Defensive Newcomer of the Year by College Football Network. Right behind him in tackles with 89 was Marsel McDuffie, who won a MW Player of the Week nod and Honorable Mention All-MW.
Scherer came to Las Vegas fresh from helping Arkansas win the AutoZone Liberty Bowl over Kansas. As the Razorbacks linebacker coach, he served as interim defensive coordinator for head coach Sam Pittman after Odom's departure for UNLV in early December 2022.
Scherer spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach for the SEC school. In his two seasons overseeing the Razorback linebackers, Scherer produced stunning results from his position group. In 2022, the Hogs featured AP First Team All-American Drew Sanders, who became a Third Round NFL Draft Pick by the Denver Broncos after becoming the program's first-ever Butkus Award finalist. In 12 games, Sanders led Arkansas in tackles (103), tackles-for-loss (13.5), sacks (9.5) and forced fumbles (3). The First Team All-SEC linebacker joined Khalil Mack of Buffalo (2013) as the only two FBS players since 2000 to post 100 or more total tackles, at least 13 TFL, nine sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception in the same season.
During his first year overseeing the position in 2021, Scherer produced one of the best linebacker corps in recent memory. Grant Morgan won the Burlsworth Trophy, and Pool led the team and ranked third in the SEC in total tackles with a career-best 125 stops. Morgan and Pool teamed up with Hayden Henry to complete a tackling trio with all three making 100-plus tackles and giving Arkansas half of the top six tacklers in the conference. Initially serving as a defensive analyst under Odom in 2020, Scherer first stepped into an on-field coaching role for a game week that fall when Odom served as head coach during Pittman's absence due to COVID-19.
Scherer began his coaching career in 2019 as a graduate assistant at Missouri under then-head coach Odom before both moved to Fayetteville.
A native of St. Louis, Scherer played linebacker at Mizzou from 2012-16, totaling 266 tackles, 17 TFL, one sack and one interception, seeing action in 38 games over his four-year career. A knee injury limited him to seven games as a senior after posting back-to-back seasons of 90-plus tackles to rank second on the team each season.
Scherer graduated with a bachelor's degree in business from Missouri in 2016.
