CJ Nightingale enters his 2nd season at the helm of the Belhaven Football program after being named the 8th Head Coach in team history by Vice President and Directory of Athletics Scott Little in December 2023.
In his first season as Belhaven Head Coach, Nightingale helped lead the Blazers to a 5-5 overall finish and a 5-3 record in USA South play that included winning four of their last five against conference opposition. Nightingale's debut campaign saw him coach 10 All-USA South selections headlined by Wyatt Beck, Jimmy Byrd, Icarius Hodgin and Constantine Hontzas who all landed on the All-USA South First Team. Hontzas and Beck would go on to earn D3football.com All-Region III Third Team honors and were joined by freshman Mathew Cacamo who earned an All-Region III First Team nod as a special teams player.
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As a former collegiate player and current coach, Nightingale has extensive experience at the NCAA Division III level having played at the collegiate level for Wheaton College (IL) before serving in multiple coaching capacities at both the NCAA Division III and NAIA levels.
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Nightingale arrives at Belhaven after spending four seasons as the Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach at Wheaton College where the Thunder reached the NCAA Division III playoffs in all four years and won the CCIW in 2019.
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In 2022, Nightingale was named as a participant in the American Football Coaches Association 35 Under 35 Leadership Institute, a prestigious program designed to identify and develop some of the best young coaches in the country. Additionally, Nightingale has been a speaker at AFCA Coaching Clinics as well as at Glazier Coaching Clinics.
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This past season, Nightingale coached a defense that finished as the #2 defense in points per game and yards per game in the CCIW, an identical mark to what was held in the 2022 campaign.
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Nightingale's 2021 defense led the country in Total Sacks and Sacks Per Game while ranking second in Rushing Yards Per Game Allowed and third in Total Tackles for Loss.
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In his first year at Wheaton, Nightingale's 2019 unit was the top scoring defense in the country while also holding the best Yards Allowed Per Game average, Yards Allowed Per Play average, and Defensive Passing Efficiency nationally. His nationally renowned defense earned him a spot as a finalist for FootballScoop.com's NCAA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year Award.
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Across his time as Defensive Coordinator for the Thunder, Nightingale coached 24 All-Conference players, 10 All-Region players, and seven All-Americans. He also coached CCIW and National Defensive Player of the Year, Dallas McRae in 2019 who also earned CCIW Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.
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Prior to his coaching time at Wheaton, Nightingale served as the Special Teams Coordinator and Linebackers Coach at Indiana Wesleyan University (NAIA) from 2017-2019, helping mold a program that had its first varsity season in 2018 and went 7-3 during their inaugural campaign.
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Nightingale got his collegiate coaching start at Greenville University (DIII) where he served as Defensive Backs Coach for the 2016 season. During his time at Greenville, Nightingale helped on a staff that had the UMAC Player of the Year, one All-American, and an NFL Signee.
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Prior to coaching, Nightingale was a four-year letter-winner at Wheaton College as a defensive back and return specialist. In 2010, Nightingale was a part of a Thunder team that made it to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Playoffs and in 2012 he was a part of a CCIW Championship team.
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Collegiate Coaching Record
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| Year |
School |
Record |
Conference Record / Finish |
Postseason |
| 2024 |
Belhaven |
5-5 |
5-3 / 5th |
n/a |
| Total (1) |
|
5-5 |
5-3 |
|
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Blazers Under Coach Nightingale
All-Region
- Mathew Cacamo
- Wyatt Beck
- Constantine Hontzas
All-Conference
- Ten All-USA South Selections
- Four First Team
- Four Second Team
- One Honorable Mention
- One Sportsmanship
Coaching Career Timeline
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| Years |
School |
Position |
| 2024-pres. |
Belhaven (Div. III) |
Head Coach |
| 2019-23 |
Wheaton (Div. III) |
Defensive Coordinator |
| 2017-18 |
Indiana Wesleyan (NAIA) |
Special Teams Coordinator / Linebackers Coach |
| 2016 |
Greenville (Div. III) |
Defensive Backs Coach |
| 2014-15 |
Richmond (HS) |
Wide Receivers / Defensive Backs Coach |
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