Matt Leone joined the Tennessee State football coaching staff as offensive coordinator ahead of the 2026 season, bringing a proven track record of building explosive, nationally ranked offenses at both the FCS and NAIA levels.
Leone arrives at Tennessee State following a successful tenure as offensive coordinator at North Carolina Central University, where he helped establish one of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s most productive offensive units. During the 2025 season, the Eagles averaged 33.75 points and 420.9 total yards per game, scoring 30 or more points in eight contests. Quarterback Walker Harris thrived under Leone’s guidance, earning MEAC Offensive Player of the Year honors after setting the program’s single-season passing record with 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns — becoming just the second quarterback in school history to eclipse 3,000 passing yards in a season. NCCU placed four offensive players on the All-MEAC team that year.
Leone joined the NCCU staff in January 2020 and helped elevate the Eagles into one of the conference’s most consistent offensive programs. In 2024, NCCU led the MEAC in scoring offense (35.5 points per game) while ranking second in total offense (405.7 yards per game), finishing first in rushing offense and second in passing offense. Running back J’Mari Taylor earned First Team All-MEAC honors after surpassing 1,000 rushing yards, while offensive lineman Trevon Humphrey also collected first-team recognition.
The 2023 season saw NCCU post a 9–3 record while averaging a conference-best 35.8 points and 372.3 yards per game, remaining in contention for the MEAC championship behind one of the league’s top passing attacks.
In 2022, Leone’s offense powered NCCU to a 10–2 record, a share of the MEAC championship, and a berth in the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The Eagles led the conference in scoring offense (38.6 ppg), total offense (445.3 ypg), passing offense (234.8 ypg), and rushing offense (210.8 ypg), producing five First Team All-MEAC selections, including Offensive Lineman of the Year Robert Mitchell. NCCU scored 40 or more points seven times that season, including three games surpassing the 50-point mark.
Prior to NCCU, Leone spent four seasons at Southern University, helping guide the Jaguars to consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division championships in 2018 and 2019. Southern averaged 32.8 points and 403.5 total yards per game during the 2019 season and led the SWAC in pass efficiency in 2018. Leone also coached the program’s all-time leading passer, Austin Howard, and contributed to a 2016 offense that ranked fifth nationally in FCS scoring at 39.8 points per game with 5,191 total yards and 54 touchdowns.
Leone began his coaching career at his alma mater, Webber International University, where he spent nine seasons and served five years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Under his leadership, Webber produced the most productive offenses in program history, including a 2015 unit that ranked fifth nationally in rushing offense and a 2014 team that captured the program’s first conference championship and finished ranked No. 23 in the NAIA Coaches Poll.
A four-year letterman quarterback at Webber International, Leone earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2007 and later completed his master’s degree in sport business management at Webber International University in 2009. A native of Ocala, Florida, Leone and his wife, Stephanie, have one daughter, Suthurly.
