Zach Azzanni

Zach Azzanni (born August 10, 1976) is an American football coach who is the wide receivers coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). Azzanni, who enters his 23rd season coaching wide receivers, previously coached with the Denver Broncos and spent the 2017 season with the Chicago Bears following 18 years at the college level.

Zach Azzanni

New York Jets
Position:	Wide receivers coach
Personal information
Born:	(1976-08-10) August 10, 1976 (age 47) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Career information
College:	Central Michigan
Career history
As a coach:
Valparaiso (1999–2000) Wide receivers Bowling Green (2001–2002) Graduate assistant Bowling Green (2003–2006) Wide receivers Central Michigan (2007–2009) Assistant head coach/wide receivers Florida (2010) Passing game coordinator/wide receivers Western Kentucky (2011) Offensive coordinator/wide receivers Wisconsin (2012) Wide receivers Tennessee (2013–2014) Recruiting coordinator/Wide receivers Tennessee (2015–2016) Passing game coordinator/Wide receivers Chicago Bears (2017) Wide receivers Denver Broncos (2018–2022) Wide receivers New York Jets (2023–present) Wide receivers

Early years

Azzanni played college football as a wide receiver at Central Michigan University from 1994 to 1998. He graduated from Central Michigan with a degree in sports management in 1999.^[1]

Coaching career

College

Azzanni began his coaching career as wide receivers coach for Valparaiso University in 1999. He spent two seasons there before working as a graduate assistant under Head Coach Urban Meyer at Bowling Green from 2001 to 2002. Azzanni remained at Bowling Green after Meyer left to become Utah's head coach in 2003 and coached receivers for four seasons.^[2] Azzanni then served as the wide receivers coach, as well as the assistant head coach, at Central Michigan University. His CMU teams compiled a three-year record of 28–13, including three consecutive bowl appearances.

Azzanni was hired by Florida after the 2009 college regular season. In his first game coaching with the Gators—the 2010 Sugar Bowl—quarterback Tim Tebow threw for a career-high 482 yards in the Gators’ 51-24 win against Cincinnati.^[3] Azzanni then went on to be the offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach at Western Kentucky in 2011 for one season. In 2012, he spent one season coaching the wide receivers at the University of Wisconsin.

In 2013, Azzanni joined and spent four years at the University of Tennessee. He joined the Vols as wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator before being promoted to passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach in 2015. Tennessee went to three consecutive bowl games from 2014 to 2016, winning each contest and averaging nearly 43 points per outing. The Vols’ passing attack in 2016, which featured six different players with at least 200 yards receiving, helped the offense set school records for single-season points (473) and touchdowns (63).^[4]

NFL

Chicago Bears

The Bears hired Azzanni as their wide receivers coach for the 2017 season.^[5]

Denver Broncos

The Broncos hired Azzanni as their wide receivers coach on January 22, 2018.^[6]

New York Jets

The Jets hired Azzanni as their wide receivers coach on February 20, 2023.^[7]

Coaching success

Azzanni has experienced three Bowl seasons at Central Michigan, a BCS All State Sugar Bowl win, another Outback Bowl win at Florida, 2 Bowl wins while Wide Receiver's Coach at Bowling Green, including one over Big Ten Opponent Northwestern and a TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and Outback Bowl win at Tennessee against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Players he has coached include Antonio Brown (CMU), Charles Sharon (Bowling Green), and Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey.

References

1. Schubert, Erich. "Broncos Media Guide" (PDF). denverbroncos.com.
2. "Urban Meyer hires Zach Azzanni as Gators' wide receivers coach". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
3. Schubert, Erich. "Broncos Media Guide" (PDF). denverbroncos.com.
4. Schubert, Erich. "Broncos Media Guide" (PDF). denverbroncos.com.
5. Taylor, John (February 22, 2017). "WRs coach Zach Azzanni leaving Vols for job with Chicago Bears". CollegeFootballTalk.
6. Williams, Charean. "Broncos hire Zach Azzanni as wide receivers coach". Yahoo.com.
7. Riccette, Billy (February 20, 2023). "Jets hire Zach Azzanni as wide receivers coach". usatoday.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.