Last Updated: Feb. 14, 2025
Twitter: @CoachJohnHauser
John Hauser joined the Bobcats prior to 2023 spring camp as the safeties coach. He was promoted to defensive passing game coordinator in spring 2023, defensive coordinator in spring 2024 and was named associate head coach prior to the 2024 StaffDNA Cure Bowl.
The 2024 season capped off another historic season for the Bobcats, marking the program's first 11-win season, sixth consecutive bowl victory and their first Mid-American Conference Championship win since 1968. In the MAC Championship against Miami (Ohio), Hauser's defense held the RedHawks to just three points, marking the first time a team hasn't scored a touchdown in the MAC Championship as well as the largest margin of victory (38-3).
The 2023 defense played a crucial role in the team's 10-win season, finishing the season No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference and No. 4 in FBS football. Notably, the defense held Power 5 opponent to only seven points (Sept. 16), Western Michigan (Oct. 21) to their lowest number of rushing yards in the season (79) and set the program record for the most turnovers forced in a bowl game (5) at the 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Ohio's 2022 defense finished second in the MAC in points allowed per game (21.1), less than a quarter of a point behind the leader. After their seven-game winning streak against MAC opponents, safety Tariq Drake was one of three Bobcats to earn All-MAC Third Team honors.
Previously, he was Miami's cornerbacks coach for eight years and co-defensive coordinator for six years. His first year with Miami was a memorable one, as he helped coach Quinten Rollins, who was a four-year letter-winner on the Miami Basketball team and joined the football team in April for Spring practices. Eight months later, Rollins finished the year with seven interceptions and a MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award. He would later go on to be drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
Since then Hauser has continued to produce All-MAC talent. Heath Harding was a two-time All-MAC honoree, capturing first team All-MAC honors in 2017. Harding signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2019 Emmanuel Rugama was named third team All-MAC and the MAC Championship Defensive Player of the Game. Rugamba also earned All-MAC in 2019 and 2020. Rugamba signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns. He also coached MAC Defensive Player of the Year and future Green Bay Packer Quinten Rollins.
Prior to Miami, Hauser spent two seasons at The Citadel as the safeties coach after briefly leaving coaching to be the director of player personnel at the University of Illinois for two months. While at The Citadel, Hauser was responsible for the development of Nick Willis, who as a true freshman, earned a spot of the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team.
From 2009-12, he was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Wayne State University, where he also worked with special teams and coordinated recruiting efforts in Michigan and parts of Ohio. While at Wayne State, Hauser oversaw a unit that finished in the top-10 nationally in Division II in scoring defense finished #1 nationally in Sacks (48) , #5 in interceptions (23) , #8 in takeaways (36) and produced four all-conference defensive backs and a pair of All-Americans and 11 First team all-conference defensive players. With Hauser playing an integral role, the Warriors turned the corner from being a program with no prior history of success into one which twice set school records for most wins in a season and advanced to the NCAA Division II title game in 2011. 3 Defensive players Jeremy Jones, Daunte Akra and Raleigh Ross were all free agent acquisitions in the NFL.
Hauser spent 2003-08 with Northern Illinois, starting off as a graduate assistant before becoming their defensive backs coach in 2006. While at Northern Illinois, he helped lead the team to three straight Mid-American Conference Western Division championships and three bowl appearances and coached All-MAC safety Dustin Utschig.
Hauser started his career in 2002 at his alma mater, Wittenberg University, where he was an assistant coach. While he was a student-athlete at Wittenberg, Hauser was named all-conference three times and earned a spot on the Division III All-American team in 2002. In his four years at Wittenberg, the team combined to finish 40-6 overall.
He and his wife, Seanna, have a daughter, McKenna, a son, John Jr. ("JJ") and two-year old twins, Jackson and Maria.
