Jeff Fantuzzi joined the Wildcat staff in January of 2023 as the Recruiting Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach.
He served in the same position since March 2022 at the University of North Carolina Pembroke. Fantuzzi, a former offensive lineman himself at Central Michigan, trekked to southeastern North Carolina from Chicago, Ill., where he spent the 2021 campaign as an assistant coach for North Park.
North Park, an NCAA Division III institution and a member of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin, ranked second among the 10 CCIW schools in 2021 in pass sack efficiency after surrendering just 1.5 quarterback drops per game. His offensive line unit paved the way for an offense that tacked up more than 306 yards and nearly 20 points per game as well.
Prior to his time in the Windy City, Fantuzzi spent the 2020 season on the sidelines at Manchester, and spent the early part of the Spring 2020 season as the offensive tackles and tight ends coach at Albion in southern Michigan. He also has a previous coaching stop at NCAA Division III Finlandia in 2018.
Fantuzzi made his debut in the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at the GLIAC's Wayne State during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The Warriors posted 13 wins across his two seasons in Detroit, and averaged more than 350 yards of offense over that span as well. Wayne State tacked up nearly 450 offensive yards per game in 2016, including 273.4 yards per game on the ground. Fantuzzi also a prep stint as an assistant coach at Anchor Bay High School in Ira, Mich., where he helped that squad shatter a school record for both rushing yards and total touchdowns in 2017.
A native of Macomb, Mich., Fantuzzi was a valuable member of three standout offensive lines at Central Michigan from 2009-11. He helped pace the Chippewas to 18 victories, including a 12-2 season in 2009 that culminated in a Mid-American Conference championship, as well as a double overtime victory over Troy in the GMAC Bowl. CMU concluded that campaign with a No. 23 ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll as well.
He was a two-time state champion as a player at Macomb (Mich.) High School where he was ranked by ESPN as the nation’s 14th-best offensive tackle as a senior in 2007. He was also listed among the state’s top 25 players by Rivals.com, The Detroit News and The Detroit Free Press.
Fantuzzi earned his bachelor’s degree in communication from Central Michigan in 2012, and completed his graduate work in sports management at Wayne State (Mich.) in 2019.
