JONESBORO, Ark. (1/16/25) – Arkansas State head football coach Butch Jones announced Thursday that Dakota Tillman has been elevated to special teams coordinator.
 
"Our program places a strong emphasis on special teams, and we take great pride in the success we have attained in that phase of the game," said Jones.  "Dakota Tillman has done an outstanding job working with those units the past two seasons and played an important role in our performance, so we're excited about the opportunity for him to step into this new position and continue to positively impact our special teams.  He brings outstanding energy every day, possesses great communication skills, is an excellent teacher of the game and has proved to be a great fit on our staff."
 
Tillman served the past two seasons (2023-24) in a special teams quality control role. In his role at A-State, Tillman has led five players to all-conference honors, including first team punter William Przystup (2023) and third team place kicker Clune Van Andel (2024). Van Andel set a school record with 18 consecutive field goals made and finished the season 21-of-25 on field goals, 7-of-9 from 40-plus yards. 
 
"I'm blessed and thankful for the opportunity to build on an excellent foundation that has been established here at Arkansas State on special teams," said Tillman. "I am grateful for the opportunity that Coach Jones and the university has given me in this new role."
 
Tillman helped A-State, winners of a bowl game for the first time since 2019, rank third nationally with 18.47 yards per punt return in 2024 behind two punt returns for scores by Courtney Jackson. The Red Wolves ranked 23rd nationally, second in the league, in kickoff return defense at 17.77 yards per return and the punt unit ranked 53rd nationally, third in the conference, with a net punt average of 39.59 yards. 
 
In 2023, Tillman aided a special teams unit that blocked three kicks to lead the league and rank 10th nationally. A-State ranked ninth nationally in kickoff return at 25.37 yards per return and returned to a bowl game for the first time since 2019. 
 
Tillman spent the 2022 season as special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Wayne County High School in Jesup, Ga., helping the Yellow Jackets improve from 0-9 in 2021 to 10-3 and a state quarterfinal run in 2022. Under his guidance, WCHS boasted one of the best special teams units in Class AAAA and finished third in the state among all classifications for punts inside the 20. 
 
Prior to his season in Jesup, Tillman served as special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Tattnall County High School (Reidsville, Ga.) for the 2021 season after three seasons as co-offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator at Claxton High School (2018-20). 
 
Tillman owns a bachelor's degree in computer science from Limestone University and a Master of Education in instructional technology from Georgia Southern.