LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV football head coach Dan Mullen has hired Kap Dede, Ph.D., as the Rebels' new safeties coach.
 
Dede (Dee-Dee) comes to Las Vegas after spending last season coaching linebackers at Oklahoma State where he saw Brandon Rawls of the Cowboys receive honorable mention honors for the All-Big 12 team.
 
Previous to OSU, Dede served as the run game specialist and outside linebackers coach at Western Kentucky. He was part of 2024 defense at WKU that ranked No. 11 nationally in passing yards allowed, 16th in fumbles recovered, 22nd in red zone defense and 32nd in turnovers gained.
 
Prior to his arrival at WKU, Dede was the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at LIU in 2023 and coached defensive backs at Charlotte in 2022. He was first part of the Mountain West as the linebackers/nickelbacks coach at Colorado State from 2020-21 after working in various roles at Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, and Louisville.
 
Dede, who was a defensive back at Auburn during his playing days and later signed with the NFL's New York Giants, began his coaching career as an assistant at Auburn High School from 2011-12 and was then the head coach at Woodbridge High School in Virginia from 2013-14.
 
He got his college start at Louisville in a defensive quality control position from 2015-16. He served in that same role at Mississippi State in 2017 under Mullen and then accompanied the current Rebel head coach to Florida in 2018. In 2019, Dede served as a senior defensive analyst at Arkansas.
 
He earned his doctorate in administration in higher education from Auburn in 2012.
 
As a player at Auburn from 2002-06, Dede helped the Tigers to a 41-10 record, three SEC West titles and the 2004 SEC Championship. The Tigers advanced to the Citrus Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Music City Bowl during his playing career. Dede was a three-time member of the All-SEC Academic team and as a senior he was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is college football's "academic Heisman."
 
Dede and his wife, Ashley, have three children: Jonah, Judah, and Presleigh.
 
DEDE'S COACHING FILE
2026-PR    UNLV – Safeties
2025           Oklahoma State – Linebackers
2024           Western Kentucky – Outside Linebackers/Run Game Specialist
2023           LIU -- Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2022           Charlotte – Defensive Backs
2020-21      Colorado State – Linebackers/Nickelbacks
2019           Arkansas – Senior Defensive Analyst
2018           Florida – Defensive Quality Control
2017           Mississippi State – Defensive Quality Control
2015-16       Louisville – Defensive Quality Control
2013-14       Woodbridge (VA) HS – Head Coach
2011-12       Auburn (AL) HS – Assistant Coach