Memphis football on Tuesday officially announced the hiring of Spence Nowinsky as defensive line coach and assistant defensive coordinator.

Nowinsky had been the defensive coordinator at Ohio University since 2022. He was a nominee for the Broyles Award last season (given to the best assistant coach in college football). Memphis offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey was also a nominee.

The former Minnesota State defensive lineman will replace Lou Esposito, who joined the Tigers in January from Western Michigan but departed after less than three months to be the defensive line coach at Michigan. Esposito had been tapped to replace Kyle Pope, who left for Georgia Tech after the season.

Nowinsky began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin and was defensive coordinator at Illinois State and Miami (Ohio) before joining the Bobcats. He arrives in Memphis with less than two weeks remaining in spring practice.

“This is a big time hire for our program,” coach Ryan Silverfield said in a statement. “Spence navigated one of the very best defenses in all of college football and he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our defensive line. We are very excited to add Coach Nowinsky to our staff.”

The Tigers are expecting their defense to take big strides in 2024. Defensive coordinator Matt Barnes left for Mississippi State after last season, and Silverfield promoted linebackers coach Jordon Hankins to replace him. Hankins and the rest of the defensive staff have star linebacker Chandler Martin and most of the defensive front returning as they head into a critical season.

Memphis' spring game is set for 3 p.m. April 20 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football hires Spence Nowinsky as defensive line coach