Report: Texas A&M promoting Lyle Hemphill as Jay Bateman replacement at defensive coordinator

Texas A&M lost another staff member this morning, as Jay Bateman is reportedly leaving to take the same role as defensive coordinator at Kentucky. The Aggies have already found their replacement for this one, though, per the latest out of College Station.

Per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Lyle Hemphill will be the replacement at defensive coordinator for A&M. It’ll be a promotion for him, having joined the staff this past year as associate head coach of the defense under Mike Elko.

In his first season on staff in Aggieland, Hemphill has been part of quite the defensive unit for Texas A&M. That’s as they, en route to a record of 11-1 and since making the College Football Playoff, allowed just 21.9 points and 309.8 yards per game. Texas A&M was among the best, if the not No. 1 overall defense in the country in third down conversions, sacks, tackles for loss, first down conversion rate, and passing yards allowed across the FBS.

This comes after Hemphill arrived following a one-year stop at James Madison in the program’s first season under Bob Chesney. He was the Dukes’ safeties coach and defensive coordinator, as the defense allowed just 20.5 points and 321.8 yards per game last fall in the Sun Belt.

That’s where we get to where Hemphill first crossed paths with Elko, as he was on his staff for two years at Duke. He was the Blue Devils’ safeties coach for a season before being promoted to co-defensive coordinator as well the following season in Durham. In that second year as co-defensive coordinator, Duke allowed just 19.0 points and 352.7 yards per game.

The rest of the resumé includes other collegiate stops at Wake Forest in the ACC, as well as at lower levels with Stony Brook, Delaware, Hofstra, and Delaware Valley. Hemphill has worked in several roles at those programs, namely with positions in the secondary on those defensive staffs.

Texas A&M has yet to replace Collin Klein, who was its offensive coordinator but is returning to his alma mater to be the next head coach at Kansas State. However, Elko moved quickly to name the program’s replacement, with the Aggies hiring from within with Hemphill.

Kentucky set to hire Texas A&M DC Jay Bateman for same role

Will Stein is quickly putting together his first staff as the new head coach at Kentucky. That includes who the Wildcats are expected to hire to be the new defensive coordinator.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Kentucky is set to hire Texas A&M DC Jay Bateman. Bateman has worked his way up on defensive staffs the past two decades, including three power-level stops since 2019 and two in the SEC since 2022, with him having spent the past two seasons with A&M.

Bateman has been on staff for the last two years with the Aggies, being their defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Mike Elko. Bateman becomes the second of two coordinators to leave the staff in the past week after Kansas State hired OC Collin Klein. In his time at A&M, Bateman has had one of the better defenses in the country, as A&M has allowed 22.1 points and 338.6 yards per game.

This season, Texas A&M has continued that in Year 2 with the Aggies allowing 21.9 points and 309.8 yards per game. The defense also posted among the best stats in the nation, as it is best in the country in third down conversion rate, tied for the best in sacks, top three in tackles for loss, Top 10 in first down conversion rate, and among the best in passing yards allowed. That’s been part of what’s allowed the Aggies to go 11-1, one of the best seasons in school history, and now make their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.

As for the rest of his resumé, Bateman has also recently worked for two seasons as the inside linebackers coach at Florida. Before that, he was the safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator at North Carolina. Bateman has also made stops as defensive coordinator at Army and Ball State in the FBS, as well as smaller defensive stops at Elon, Lehigh, and Richmond, along with four years, one as defensive coordinator and three more as head coach, at Siena.