Kentucky Football Taps Josh Christian-Young as New Safeties Coach
Kentucky Football has added a proven defensive mind to its coaching staff, naming Josh Christian-Young as the program’s new safeties coach. Head coach Will Stein made the announcement Friday, bringing aboard a coach with a track record of building disciplined, productive secondaries.
“We are thrilled to welcome Josh Christian-Young to Lexington,” Stein said. “Houston’s secondary has played physical, disciplined football, and they have been productive. That’s exactly the standard we want at Kentucky.”
And there’s plenty of evidence to back up Stein’s excitement.
Christian-Young arrives in Lexington after two seasons coaching safeties at Houston, where his impact on the Cougars’ defense was hard to miss. In 2025, Houston wrapped up the regular season at 9-3, earning a spot at No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings and a Texas Bowl matchup with LSU. It was the program’s best finish since 2021 - and defense played a big role in that.
Houston ranked 19th nationally in red zone defense and 37th in overall defensive efficiency. The Cougars allowed just 188.8 passing yards per game in 2024, good for third in the Big 12.
Their 2,266 passing yards allowed were the fewest in any non-COVID season for the program in three decades. That kind of consistency didn’t happen by accident - Houston held opponents under 225 passing yards in nine games and picked off passes in eight of 12 contests, including a three-INT performance against Baylor.
One of the standout players under Christian-Young’s watch was safety A.J. Haulcy, who tied for the Big 12 lead in interceptions (5) and finished second in passes defended (13). Haulcy earned First Team All-Big 12 honors and was one of the anchors of a secondary that thrived on aggressive, smart football.
“I’m very excited for this opportunity,” Christian-Young said. “Coach Stein is one of the rising stars in college football with an elite offensive mind.
The chance to work with him while reuniting with Jay Bateman makes this an incredible next step. I can’t wait to get started.”
Before his time at Houston, Christian-Young spent four seasons at Tulane, where he coached defensive backs from 2020 to 2023. His units there were just as disruptive.
In 2023, the Green Wave led their conference with 17 interceptions - third-most in the nation. They also ranked 19th in scoring defense and 32nd in total defense, holding opponents to just 18.9 points per game and 332.7 yards per contest.
Under his guidance, three Tulane DBs earned All-AAC honors in 2023: cornerback Jarius Monroe (first team), safety Kam Pedescleaux (second team), and cornerback Lance Robinson (second team). Monroe later made the leap to the NFL and has played two seasons with the New York Jets.
The year prior, in 2022, Tulane finished second in the AAC in interceptions with 12. Senior DB Macon Clark earned First Team All-AAC honors and ranked among the national leaders in forced fumbles. Christian-Young’s 2023 unit also sent three players to the NFL as rookie free agents: Clark, Larry Brooks, and Lummie Young IV.
In 2021, Christian-Young shifted to coach outside linebackers, but his fingerprints were still all over the secondary. Tulane had multiple players rank in the top 10 in the AAC in passes defended and interceptions, while defensive lineman Darius Hodges led the conference in tackles for loss (16.5), ranking 13th nationally. Tulane also finished fifth in sacks per game.
Even in his first year at Tulane, Christian-Young made an immediate impact. In 2020, his defensive backs helped the Green Wave finish among the AAC’s top five in scoring defense, interceptions, and red zone defense. Tulane led the conference in pass breakups (42) and finished second in passes defended (51), while ranking top 20 nationally in both categories.
Christian-Young’s coaching journey also includes a five-year stint at Army West Point (2015-2019), where he steadily climbed the ranks from quality control coach to cornerbacks coach, and finally safeties coach. During that stretch, Army’s defense was one of the most disciplined and efficient in the country.
In 2019, Army ranked fifth nationally in passing yards allowed and 30th in total defense. The year before, the Black Knights finished eighth in total defense (295.5 yards per game) and 10th in scoring defense (17.7 points per game). In 2017, they boasted the 14th-best pass defense in the nation.
Christian-Young helped develop several standout DBs at Army, including Elijah Riley, Mike Reynolds, and Ryan Velez - all of whom earned All-Independent Team honors. Riley went on to sign an NFL free agent deal in 2020 and has since played for four teams, most recently the New York Giants in 2024.
Before Army, Christian-Young coached cornerbacks at Georgia Southern from 2013 to 2014. The Eagles went 16-7 during his two years there and captured the 2014 Sun Belt Championship.
A former strong safety himself, Christian-Young played at Central Missouri under Willie Fritz from 2006 to 2010. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history in 2011 and a master’s in sociology in 2013, serving as a graduate assistant during that time. He later added a second master’s degree in higher education administration from Georgia Southern.
Now, he brings all that experience - from the Sun Belt to the AAC to the Big 12 - to the SEC. And with the kind of defensive pedigree he’s built over the past decade, Kentucky’s secondary might be in for a serious upgrade.
Christian-Young and his wife Kristin have two children: a daughter, Adalyn, and a son, Nolan.