Justin Lustig

• Justin Lustig enters his second season as Penn State's special teams coordinator, outside linebackers and nickels coach.
• During his career, Lustig has mentored 56 all-conference selections, a Lou Groza Award recipient and a Ray Guy Award finalist.
• In year one with the Nittany Lions, Lustig tutored a trio of All-Big Ten recipients in long snapper Tyler Duzansky (third team), kicker Ryan Barker (honorable mention) and kick returner Nicholas Singleton (honorable mention).
• Barker took over kicking duties five games into the season and finished 15-for-18 on field goals, an 83.3 conversation rate which finished tied for fourth in a single season at Penn State.
• Lustig previously spent three seasons at Vanderbilt as the program's special teams coordinator, tight ends coach, associate head coach (2022-23) and assistant head coach (2021).
• After inheriting a special teams unit that ranked outside the top 100 in ESPN' Special Teams Efficiency ratings in 2020, Lustig helped propel the unit to 44th in 2022 and 41st in 2023.
• As a team in 2023, Vanderbilt was one of 20 programs in the country to block multiple punts and finished 11th nationally in net punting.
• The 2023 campaign saw a pair of All-SEC specialists in Matthew Hayball (first team) and Wesley Schelling (second team), marking the first time in school history Vanderbilt had multiple specialists earn All-SEC honors.
• Hayball became Vandy’s first All-SEC punter since 1996, as he posted the best career punting average in school history.
• With second-team honors, Schelling was the first Vanderbilt player since 2016 to earn all-conference accolades in consecutive seasons.
• In 2022, Schelling became the first Commodores player in six seasons to earn first-team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches.
• Hayball emerged as one of the nation’s top punters in 2022. His 45.4 yards per punt ranked second in the SEC and 13th nationally.
• Lustig arrived to Syracuse in 2020, where in all, his punt coverage teams yielded just 369 yards over four seasons while the kickoff coverage teams averaged 21.6 yards per return.
• In 2019, Sterling Hofrichter became Syracuse’s first finalist for the Ray Guy Award and earned All-America honors, while returner Sean Riley finished as the program’s all-time leader in kickoff returns (115) and kickoff return yardage (2,433), and stood third with 4,358 all-purpose yards.
• The Orange ranked fifth in the FBS in punt return defense (1.7) that year and surrendered just 17 punt return yards.
• Special teams helped propel the Orange to a 10-3 record in 2018, where Lustig was nominated for the Broyles Award, contributing two touchdowns (punt return, blocked punt return) and the Orange finished second among Power Five programs in ESPN’s special teams efficiency ratings.
• Andre Szmyt captured the Lou Groza Award that same season as the nation’s best placekicker, as he made an ACC-record 30 field goals and led the FBS in scoring (11.6).
• Syracuse’s 2017 punt team ranked fourth in the country in punt return defense (2.7) and set the school season record for fewest opponent punt returns with nine.
• As SU's outside receivers coach, Lustig coached Jamal Custis, a 2018 All-ACC second team honoree. In 2019, Trishton Jackson was voted All-ACC second team after posting a 1,000-yard receiving season. The 2020 season was capped by Taj Harris being a third team all-league pick.
• Lustig was the head coach at Edinboro in 2016, when he was named the D2Football.com Coach of the Year after inheriting an 0-11 team and leading the Fighting Scots to a 9-2 record, the biggest turnaround in Division II football history.
• He was the special teams coordinator and running backs coach from 2011-15 at Ball State, leading the Cardinals to a pair of bowl appearances.
• Lustig also had previous coaching stints at Louisiana Lafayette (2009-10), Eastern Illinois (2006-08), Christopher Newport (2004-05; 2001-02), and Villanova (2003).

• Lustig played collegiately at Bucknell where he was a four-year starter at defensive back for the Bison and captained the team as a senior.

• Matthew Hayball (Vanderbilt) - New Orleans Saints
• Sterling Hofrichter (Syracuse) - NFL (2020-22); 2020 seventh-round pick
• Trishton Jackson (Syracuse) - Arizona Cardinals
• Andre Szmyt (Syracuse) - Cleveland Browns; 2018 Lou Groza Award winner
• Jamal Curtis (Syracuse) - 2018 second-team All-ACC
• Sean Riley (Syracuse) - Syracuse's all-time kick return leader (2,433)-nfl
• Nolan Cooney (Syracuse) - NFL (2021-24)
• Jahwan Edwards (Ball State) - NFL (2015-16)
• Jamil Smith (Ball State) - CFL (2014-19)
• Scott Secor (Ball State) - 2014 MAC Special Teams Player of the Year
• Steve Schott (Ball State) - 2012 first-team All-MAC
• Scott Kovanda (Ball State) - 2012 Ray Guy Award finalist
• Gavin Schoenwald (Vanderbilt) - NFL (2023)
• Ben Bresnahan (Vanderbilt) - NFL (2023)

THE LUSTIG FILE

Personal

Year at Penn State: Second
Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania
Education: Bucknell, 2000 - B.A. English and History; George Washington, 2005 - M.A. Human Resource Management
Family: Wife: Beth; Sons: Samuel, Henry

Coaching Career

2024-present - Penn State (Special Teams Coordinator/Outside Linebackers/Nickels)
2022-23 – Vanderbilt (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends)
2021 – Vanderbilt (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends)
2019-20 – Syracuse (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Outside Receivers)
2018 – Syracuse (Special Teams Coordinator/Outside Receivers)
2017 – Syracuse (Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs)
2016 – Edinboro (Head Coach)
2015 – Ball State (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs)
2011-14 – Ball State (Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs)
2009-10 – Louisiana Lafayette (Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs)

Playing Experience

• Bucknell (1997-00)

Postseason as a Coach

• 2024 Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal) - Penn State
• 2024 Fiesta Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal) - Penn State
• 2024 CFP First Round - Penn State
• 2018 Camping World Bowl - Syracuse
• 2013 GoDaddy Bowl – Ball State
• 2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl – Ball State
• 2007 FCS Playoffs – Eastern Illinois
• 2006 FCS Playoffs – Eastern Illinois
• 2004 Division III Playoffs – Christopher Newport
• 2002 Division III Playoffs – Christopher Newport
• 2001 Division III Playoffs – Christopher Newport