Anthony DiMichele - Football Coach

Anthony DiMichele

Title:
Assistant Coach, Safeties
Alma Mater:
Holy Cross, '11 / New Haven, '16
Year at UCLA:
1st in 2026

Anthony DiMichele begins his first season as safeties coach for the UCLA football program in 2026. He arrived in Westwood after spending the previous two seasons in the same role at James Madison University. The 2026 campaign marks DiMichele’s 12th year of coaching.

DiMichele has now served on head coach Bob Chesney’s staff in six of the last nine seasons. He has assisted Chesney as his safeties coach for five straight years, with two seasons apiece at James Madison (2024-25) and FCS Holy Cross (2022-23). DiMichele was also the running backs coach on Chesney’s initial staff at Holy Cross in 2018.

Most recently, DiMichele and Chesney helped James Madison reach new heights in their two years together in Harrisonburg, Va. In 2025, the Dukes recorded just the 10th unbeaten conference record in Sun Belt history, going 8-0, and captured the program’s first Sun Belt Championship. James Madison secured a spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP) for the first time in school history with the No. 12 seed and earned its highest AP ranking in program history at No. 19. The Dukes finished the season with a 12-2 record following their CFP First Round appearance.

DiMichele assisted one of the nation’s elite defenses at James Madison in 2025, ranking fifth in the FBS with 266.6 yards allowed per game and 13th with 18.4 points allowed per game. DiMichele’s safeties helped the Dukes lead the Sun Belt with 181.6 passing yards allowed per game. James Madison held opponents to under 200 yards of total offense in five contests and a sub-50.0 completion percentage seven times.

The safeties and nickels accounted for seven of James Madison’s 12 interceptions in 2025. Three members of DiMichele’s unit garnered All-Sun Belt recognition: Jacob Thomas (Second Team), DJ Barksdale (Third Team) and Tyler Brown (Honorable Mention). Brown was the Dukes’ second-leading tackler with 78 in addition to recording 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one interception and six pass breakups. Thomas, James Madison’s third-leading tackler with 65, and Barksdale, the team-leader with 12 PBUs, each nabbed two picks.

In 2024, James Madison went 9-4 and secured their first bowl championship victory with a 27-17 win over Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Dukes’ defense ranked first in the FBS in turnover margin (1.54), third in takeaways (29), sixth in fumble recoveries (12), seventh in both interceptions (17) and pass efficiency defense (111.48), 21st in scoring defense (20.5) and 23rd in total defense (321.8), leading the Sun Belt in all categories. James Madison’s safeties room was led by Thomas, an All-Sun Belt Second Team selection, who was second on the team with 72 tackles while adding 8.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions and three breakups. Fellow safety Chris Shearin was fourth for James Madison in tackles in addition to recording 2.5 TFLs, one interception, four breakups, two fumble recoveries and a defensive PAT.

DiMichele joined the Dukes after spending the two seasons on Chesney’s staff at his alma mater of Holy Cross, holding the same roles in 2022-23. He helped Holy Cross to a pair of Patriot League championships and a berth in the 2022 FCS Playoffs, a season in which the Crusaders went 11-0 during the regular season for the third time ever and finished with a program-best 12-1 overall record after reaching the Quarterfinals for the first time in over 30 years.

Holy Cross finished its historic 2022 campaign with a No. 6 ranking as a result of numerous marquee wins, including a hail mary victory against FBS foe Buffalo and an overtime win over ranked Fordham. DiMichele helped the Crusaders rank atop the conference in total defense (331.5) and second in passing defense (211.8).

In 2023, a season in which the Crusaders finished 7-4 and tied atop the Patriot League standings, the defense ranked second in the conference in pass defense (192.7) and third in total defense (376.2).

DiMichele spent three seasons at Lehigh from 2019-21 coaching the Mountain Hawks’ running backs while serving as special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator. During the 2021 season, Lehigh led all of NCAA Division I with five blocked punts and ranked fifth in the FCS in kickoff coverage with an average of 14.92 yards.

DiMichele operated as Holy Cross’ secondary coach in 2017 and running backs coach in 2018 during his first coaching stint at his alma mater.

He began his collegiate coaching career at the NCAA Division II level as the secondary coach at New Haven for two seasons in 2015-16. Prior to New Haven, DiMichele was an assistant coach for three seasons at Sto-Rox High School in McKees Rocks, Pa., where he graduated from in 2007.

DiMichele was a three-year starter and four-year letterwinner in the secondary for Holy Cross from 2007-10. He earned All-Patriot League honors twice as an upperclassman and was tabbed as a Third Team All-American by the Sports Network his junior season in 2009. DiMichele finished his Crusader playing career with 237 total tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 20 pass breakups. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history in 2011.

Following his graduation, DiMichele spent one season playing overseas for the Seamen Milano in Italy. He later earned a master’s degree in sport management from New Haven in 2016.

DiMichele’s brothers, Adam and Alex, both played football at Temple. Adam is currently the assistant secondary coach at Nebraska, also working with safeties.

DiMichele’s Coaching Experience
2015, 2016 – Secondary, New Haven (NCAA DII)
2017 – Secondary, Holy Cross (FCS)
2018 – Running Backs, Holy Cross (FCS)
2019-21 – Special Teams Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator, Lehigh (FCS)
2022, 2023 – Safeties/Recruiting Coordinator, Holy Cross (FCS)
2024, 2025 – Safeties/Recruiting Coordinator, James Madison
2026 – Safeties, UCLA