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, Lustig was named Vanderbilt's Broyles Award nominee, while 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, 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) - Minnesota Vikings
• Andre Szmyt (Syracuse) - 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)
• 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

Personal

Year at Penn State: 2nd
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)

Bowl Games as a Coach

• 2024 CFP Semifinal - 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