Lambert names Wallerstedt Charlotte 49ers defensive coordinator

Charlotte 49ers head football coach Brad Lambert has hired Matt Wallerstedt as the 49ers defensive coordinator. Wallerstedt is a veteran coach with more than 20 years of coaching experience, including a six-year stint at Wyoming and recent stops at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Louisiana-Lafayette. During his career, he has spent eight seasons as a defensive coordinator at four institutions.

Wallerstedt and Lambert were teammates throughout their careers at Kansas State. Wallerstedt earned honorable mention all-America honors as a senior in 1987, after leading the Wildcats in tackles his final two years. Lambert was an all-Big Eight defensive back for the Wildcats.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to hire a veteran coach who has been a defensive coordinator in FBS conferences like the Big 12 and the Mountain West,” said Lambert, whose 49ers are moving to the FBS level as a member of Conference USA, this fall. “I’ve been impressed with his coaching style and his ability to relate to players. Obviously, I’ve known him for a long time, and I’ve watched his career, and I love how hard his guys play and the intensity with which they play.”

Wallerstedt finished the 2014 seasons as the outside linebackers coach with Louisiana-Lafayette. He had served as defensive coordinator at Texas Tech in 2013 and 2014 under head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Wallerstedt left Texas Tech in September and became a defensive consultant for the Ragin’ Cajuns, who moved him to the outside linebackers spot in November.

Prior to joining Texas Tech, he spent one year as linebackers coach at Texas A&M alongside Kingsbury, the Aggies’ offensive coordinator who became head coach at Texas Tech the following season. While at A&M, Wallerstedt helped the Aggies to an 11-2 record and a bowl victory against Oklahoma in the AT&T Cotton Bowl.

“My family and I want to thank Coach Lambert, Athletic Director Judy Rose and Chancellor (Philip) Dubois for the opportunity to be a part of their football family. We are extremely excited,” Wallerstedt said. “Coach Lambert and I have known each other for over 30 years, and I am really ‘fired up’ to lead his defensive charge. It is my pledge to our players, coaches and Niner Nation that I will give everything I have in our efforts to build 49er football, a program on the rise.”

A 1988 business management graduate of Kansas State, Wallerstedt received a Master in Athletic Administration from Fort Hays State in 1995. He served as a student assistant coach at Kansas State in 1988 before spending two years as a graduate assistant at Arizona State in 1989-90. He returned to coaching in 1994 at Fort Hays State after spending time in private business.

Wallerstedt and his wife, Josie, have a son, Cal.

He replaces defensive coordinator Bruce Tall, who stepped down earlier this week to take a position at West Virginia.

“We can’t say enough about the great job Bruce did in establishing the way our football team plays,” Lambert said of Tall, who was one of the program’s original hires back in 2011. “We will always be indebted to him for the large part he played in building our foundation. He has always been a first-class representative of our football team and University. He did a great job in all aspects of our program.”