More on new defensive backs coach Jules Montinar
Aside from offensive coordinator – which I still believe will end up being Bill O’Brien – the staff is set for 2026.
Jules Montinar was named the defensive backs coached on Tuesday, with Ben Albert – who served in the D-line coach role here from 2013-2015 – is rejoining the program in that same role.
I meant to get this up yesterday and was a little distracted with the Enrie Adams news as well as the Kuechly availability and disaster of a basketball game. But, I think the Montinar hire could be one of the best O’Brien makes in his tenure here.
Backround
Before his time in Stillwater, Montinar was part of the defensive staff at East Carolina University. The Pirates finished the regular season in 2024 ranked No. 9 in the country for defensive touchdowns and No. 11 in tackles for loss with an average of 7.3 per game. His secondary played a pivotal role in those statistics, contributing to a unit that ranked No. 16 in red zone defense, No. 25 in turnovers gained, and No. 27 in total interceptions.
Montinar’s career has been defined by a consistent ability to develop talent at big-named schools. Prior to his success at ECU, he held cornerbacks coaching positions at Temple (2022), Florida (2021) and USF (2020). He’s also been a defensive quality control assistant at Georgia (2019), as well as three seasons overseeing cornerbacks at Texas State (2016-2018). Montinar began his career as a graduate assistant at Purdue and Alabama. He also spent time at James Madison in 2015.
Final thought
He brings a wealth experience to an Eagles secondary that has to replace some familiar faces, but a key guy to rely on like KP Price on the back end could make his new job a little easier. A lot of the younger DBs stepped up last year (despite fading down the stretch) and it could be a sneaky under the radar depth position for the 2026 roster.
