Austin Cassidy

Austin Cassidy is in his first season as a Nebraska defensive graduate assistant and his third season on the Husker staff. Cassidy was also a member of the Husker defensive staff in 2012 and 2013. Cassidy will work primarily with the safeties in 2014.

In his first two years on the Huskers’ defensive staff, Nebraska boasted strong secondaries. In 2013, NU ranked 33rd nationally in pass defense after ranking fourth in the country in 2012. In 2012, senior safety Daimion Stafford ranked 30th nationally in interceptions before being selected by the Tennessee Titans in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Cassidy was a safety himself for Nebraska from 2008 to 2011, after redshirting in 2007. Cassidy earned 20 starts in his career, helping the Huskers to 38 wins in his four seasons. He totaled 128 tackles with three interceptions and five breakups. He was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection as a senior in 2011, when he ranked fourth on the team with 70 tackles and tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Cassidy also scored a touchdown on a fumble return at Minnesota.

Cassidy was one of the top student-athletes in the history of Nebraska football. He was a two-time, first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American. Only the 14th Husker to be a two-time, first-team academic All-American, Cassidy was a semifinalist for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy, considered to be the equivalent of the “academic” Heisman Trophy.

Cassidy received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Nebraska in May of 2011. He is married to the former Alex Ball. Cassidy’s father, Tim, was Nebraska’s Associate Athletic Director for Football Operations from 2004 to 2007, and Tim currently serves as the Senior Associate Athletic Director of Football at Arizona State.