Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines engineered a dominant unit that powered the Hoosiers to a historic 16-0 season and a national championship win over Miami. That success has brought Haines into the spotlight as the architect behind their explosive defense. Here’s what we know about the Hoosiers DC.

Who Is Bryant Haines? Indiana Hoosiers Defensive Coordinator

Bryant Travis Haines was born on October 17, 1985, in London, Ohio, in the US. After starting his career as a linebacker at Ball State and earning a third-team All-MAC selection as a senior, he made his way to coaching. He started his career in 2009 as a defensive coach at Manchester University and then coached at Adrian College. He also worked as a graduate assistant at Indiana and Ohio State.

Haines has worked under Curt Cignetti since 2016. They started at Elon and James Madison and are now at Indiana. He became a Broyles Award finalist this season and even won the Assistant Coach of the Year honor from the American Football Coaches Association.

Indiana’s defense ranks at No. 4 in total defense and No. 2 in scoring defense in the 2025 season, allowing just 251.8 yards and 10.92 points per game. Now, you know the kind of turnaround Haines brought to the team.

Bryant Haines’s Coaching Career and Football Background

Bryant Haines started his college football career at Ball State, where he started four seasons at weakside linebacker from 2005 to 2008 and appeared in 45 games. In 2008, he posted 86 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 4.0 sacks and led the Cardinals to a 12-2 season and a New Orleans victory.

He started his coaching career at Manchester University as DC, moving to Adrian College from 2010 to 2011 as a defensive line and strength and conditioning coach. In 2012, he joined Indiana as a defensive graduate assistant, followed by his role as a linebacker graduate assistant at Ohio State.

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From 2014 to 2015, he coached the defensive line at Indiana, helping them produce a defense that led the Big 10 outfit in scoring defense, total defense, third-down defense, and red zone defense. In 2016, he coached linebackers at UC Davis and developed second-team All-Big Sky selection Nas Anesi.

He then came to Elon in 2017 and developed players like Warren Messer to back-to-back All-CAA first team and All-America honors. Haines then moved to JMU and led them to top 10 national defenses each season from 2019 to 2023. Finally, in Indiana, he is turning up the heat with his explosive defense.

Bryant Haines’s Parents and Family Background

Bryant Haines was born to Randy and Michele Haines. Both of them have stable careers, with Randy Haines working as a sergeant in the United States Air Force and later on at a factory at the Honda of America Manufacturing plant in central Ohio as an employee. Haines’s mother, Michele, worked as a nurse.

He also had a younger brother, Tyler, in the family. Tyler also played college football at Defiance College. So, it’s pretty much a football-driven family. Their father, who was a football enthusiast, passed away in 2020, but he instilled a deep passion for the sport in both of his sons. He raised them in a household centered around athleticism. That laid the groundwork for him, and now he is turning up the heat with his dynamic defenses.

Who Is Bryant Haines’s Wife?

Bryant Haines and his longtime girlfriend, Kira Williams, got married and have three daughters together. All of them have been equally supportive of Haines’s coaching career, as it needed various relocations and moves. But his wife and daughters stood by him throughout.

They moved from North Carolina, Virginia, and Indiana, showing how much they value maintaining the family’s close bond despite the shakeup. Now, let’s dive into his contract and salary.

Bryant Haines’s Net Worth and Coaching Salary

After two remarkable seasons, Indiana rewards Haines with a new three-year contract extension, which pays him roughly $3 million per year. This extension places him among the highest-paid assistant coaches in college football.

Based on the contract extension, Bryant Haines’s estimated net worth sits in the $5-$6 million range. Now, with that success, let’s see if Haines can take Indiana to their first-ever championship win or not.