Staff Directory

Robby Discher

Title:
Special Teams Coordinator

Robby Discher was hired as Ohio State’s special teams coordinator in February 2026 after spending the previous three seasons at Illinois as the Fighting Illini’s special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. In Champaign, Discher helped guide one of the Big Ten’s most consistent special teams units, including a 10-3 season in 2024 that tied the program’s single season wins record and ended with Illinois ranked No. 16 in both the AP and Coaches polls.

Under Discher’s direction, Illinois ranked No. 16 and No. 30 nationally in ESPN’s special teams efficiency metric in 2024 and 2025, respectively. He also developed punt returner Hank Beatty into one of the nation’s top specialists, as Beatty led the Big Ten and ranked fourth nationally in punt return average in 2024 before finishing fourth in the conference in punt return yards in 2025.

Kickers David Olano and long snapper Lane Hansen earned back-to-back All-Big Ten honors in 2024 and 2025, extending a run of three straight seasons in which Illinois produced All-Big Ten kickers and returners under Discher.

Before Illinois, Discher helped Tulane win the AAC and Cotton Bowl titles in 2022 as the Green Wave’s special teams coordinator, and he previously served as special teams quality control coach at Georgia in 2021 when the Bulldogs won the College Football Playoff national championship. He was the special teams coordinator and defensive assistant at Louisiana in 2020, where the Ragin’ Cajuns finished 10-1, won the First Responder Bowl and ranked No. 15 in the final AP Poll.

Discher also spent four seasons at Toledo as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach from 2016-19, followed by two seasons as a graduate assistant and special teams coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2014-15, where he was named FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year in 2014. Earlier in his career, he coached at Sam Houston State from 2010-13 and began coaching at Kearney High School in Missouri in 2009.

A Kansas City native, Discher played wide receiver at William Jewell College and later earned a master’s degree in exercise science from Sam Houston State.

He and his wife, Erin, were married in 2017. The couple has three children: stepchildren Connor and Sydney, and their daughter, Quinn.

Illinois (2023-25)
Discher spent three seasons as the Illinois football program's special teams coordinator/tight ends coach from 2023-25.

During his three seasons in Champaign, Discher helped the Illini to 24 victories, two bowl wins, and back-to-back seasons with 9-plus wins for the first time in program history. Discher's special teams units combined for nine All-Big Ten honors from 2023-25. In the last two seasons (2024-25), Discher helped the Illini win 19 games, the program's most ever in a two-year span. The winningest two-year run in program history included 15 Power-4 wins (the fourth-most in the Big Ten), six ranked wins, and two bowl victories over SEC opponents in the 2024 Citrus Bowl vs. No. 14 South Carolina and 2025 Music City Bowl vs. No. 23 Tennessee.

Under Discher’s guidance, the Fighting Illini special teams units ranked 16th and 30th in the nation by ESPN's special teams efficiency metric in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Discher helped Illinois to a 10-3 record in 2024, tying the program's single season wins record, and a final ranking of No. 16 in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll. Illinois followed with nine more wins in 2025 and a final ranking of #25 in the Coaches Poll.

Discher helped coach punt returner Hank Beatty into one of the best in the nation in 2024 and 2025. Beatty led the Big Ten and ranked fourth nationally in punt return average (14.1 yards/return) and was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team and earned Phil Steele All-America Honorable Mention status in 2024. In 2025, Beatty ranked 19th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in punt return yards (213), while averaging 16.4 yards per punt return.

Beatty, kicker David Olano, and long snapper Lane Hansen each earned back-to-back All-Big Ten honors in 2024 and 2025. Along with kicker Caleb Griffin and returner Isaiah Williams, who were All-Big Ten honorees in 2023, Illinois had three straight seasons of All-Big Ten kickers and All-Big Ten returners under Discher.

In Discher's first season in Champaign in 2023, PFF ranked Illinois’ overall special teams unit as the seventh-best in the nation. Illinois led the nation in blocked kicks/punts (7) and had three more blocked kicks/punts than any other team in the nation during the regular season. Discher's tight ends group caught four touchdown passes, including three by starter Tip Reiman, who was a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Reiman became the second-highest drafted tight end in Illinois history when the Arizona Cardinals selected him with the No. 82 overall pick.

Tulane (2022)
During his lone season in New Orleans, Discher helped the Green Wave to AAC and Cotton Bowl championships as special teams coordinator in 2022. His one season at Tulane was one of the best in program history, as the Green Wave finished 12-2 and ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll.

Tulane's special teams ranked in the top 30 in six major categories, including punt return defense (3rd, 1.1), blocked kicks (19th, 3), yards per kick return (20th, 22.9), kickoff touchbacks (23rd, 47), yards per punt return (28th, 9.9), and kick return defense (29th, 17.6). Discher had individuals rank in the top 10 in the nation in both kickoff and punt returns, as Lawrence Keys III averaged 27.1 yards per kickoff return to rank eighth in the nation and Jha'Quan Jackson averaged 10.1 yards per punt return to rank 10th in the nation. Tulane's return units combined to outgain their opponents by 478 yards in 2022, with the kick units going +260 yards (754-494) and the punt units posting a margin of +218 yards (227-9) on the season.

Georgia (2021)
During the 2021 season where Discher served was special teams quality control for the Georgia Bulldogs, the program finished 14-1 and winning the program’s first national championship since 1980. With his tutelage, Georgia ranked first in the SEC and top 25 nationally in punting, averaging 46.8 yards per punt. Individually, punter Jake Camarda earned All-SEC honors.

Louisianna (2020)
Discher was the special teams coordinator and a defensive assistant at Louisiana in 2020. The Ragin' Cajuns finished the season ranked No. 15 in the final AP Poll with help from the No. 2 special teams unit in the nation, according to Phil Steele's Special Teams Efficiency metric. Louisiana finished with a record of 10-1, including a 31-24 win over UTSA in the First Responder Bowl, extending their winning streak to seven games.

Additionally, Discher was named to the American Football Coaches Association's 35 under 35 list while on staff at Louisiana.

Toledo (2016-19)
Discher spent four seasons as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Toledo. During that span, Toledo averaged more than eight wins per season, including an 11-3 season in 2017 that featured a victory in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game over Akron.

Toledo's special teams unit earned nation-wide praise during Discher's tenure, including a No. 1 national ranking in efficiency from Phil Steele in 2018 and No. 2 ranking from ESPN. Toledo led the MAC in return touchdowns that season, as it took three punts and one kickoff back for scores, as Discher was nominated for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach. He was also named Special Teams Coordinator of the Year by Phil Steele following Toledo's 2018 campaign, after the Rockets led the nation in blocked punts with six.

Discher helped Toledo lead the MAC in punt return average and kickoff coverage in 2017, averaging 15.2 yards per return and 42.5 yards allowed per kickoff. In back-to-back seasons from 2017-18, Toledo ranked in the top 25 nationally in both punt return average and kickoff touchbacks, with the Rockets leading the MAC in the latter category both years.

Not to be outdone, he mentored future NFL tight end Mike Roberts during his time at Toledo.

Oklahoma State (2014-15)
Discher spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State. He handled a variety of duties, including coaching wide receivers and tight ends and serving as special teams coordinator. Oklahoma State's special teams helped the Cowboys secure one of its biggest wins of the 2014 season, a 38-35 overtime win at No. 18 Oklahoma in which Oklahoma State returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 35-35.

Discher was named the 2014 FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year, becoming FootballScoop's first graduate assistant winner of any Coach of the Year award. Deservedly so as Discher's unit tied for the national lead with six kicks or punts blocked in 2014.

Sam Houston State (2010-13)
Discher began his tenure at Sam Houston State as a graduate assistant and eventually was named special teams coordinator. At SHSU, Discher was part of teams that won Southland Conference championships in 2011 and 2012. Additionally, the Bearkats made it to the FCS Playoffs three times in Discher's tenure, advancing to the FCS Championship Game in 2011 and 2012.

Background:
A Kansas City, Missouri, native, Discher attended William Jewell (Mo.) College, where he played wide receiver for the Cardinals from 2006-08. He began his coaching career at Kearney (Mo.) High School in 2009, coaching quarterbacks and linebackers for the Class 4 state champions.

Discher earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from William Jewell in 2009 and added a master's degree in exercise science from Sam Houston State in 2012.

Family:
Discher and the former Erin Wilson were married in July 2017. He has two stepchildren, Connor and Sydney. The couple has a daughter, Quinn.

FBS Postseason History

Season	School	Bowl Game	Opponent	Result
2025	Illinois	Music City Bowl	Tennessee	W, 30-28
2024	Illinois	Citrus Bowl	South Carolina	W, 21-17
2022	Tulane	Cotton Bowl	USC	W, 46-45
2022	Tulane	American Championship Game	UCF	W, 45-28
2021	Georgia	CFP National Championship	Alabama	W, 33-18
2021	Georgia	Orange Bowl	Michigan	W, 34-11
2021	Georgia	SEC Championship	Alabama	L, 41-24
2020	Louisianna	First Responder Bowl	UTSA	W, 31-24
2018	Toledo	Bahamas Bowl	FIU	L, 35-32
2017	Toledo	Dollar General Bowl	App State	L, 34-0
2017	Toledo	MAC Championship	Akron	W, 45-28
2016	Toledo	Raycom Media Camellia Bowl	App State	L, 31-28
2015	Oklahoma State	Sugar Bowl	Ole Miss	L, 48-20
2014	Oklahoma State	TicketCity Cactus Bowl	Washington	W, 30-22

Coaching History

Seasons	School/Team	Title/Position Coached
2026-Present	Ohio State	Special Teams Coordinator
2023-25	Illinois	Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2022	Tulane	Special Teams Coordinator
2021	Georgia	Special Teams Quality Control
2020	Louisiana	Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Assistant
2016-19	Toledo	Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
2014-15	Oklahoma State	Graduate Assistant
2012-13	Sam Houston State	Special Teams Coordinator
2010-11	Sam Houston State	Graduate Assistant
2009	Kearny HS (Mo.)	Quarterbacks/Linebackers