Football
Griffin, Rudy

Rudy Griffin
- Title:
- Defensive Line / Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- rgriff39@utm.edu
Rudy Griffin enters his second season as an assistant coach at UT Martin in 2025, serving as the team’s defensive line coach.
Griffin helped make an immediate impact for the Skyhawks in his first season, helping the Skyhawks earn the program’s fourth consecutive conference championship and a pair of All-American performers on the defensive line. The Skyhawks ranked sixth nationally in rushing defense (93.2 ypg) while finishing the season with 82 tackles for loss and 30 sacks. Nose guard Christian Dowell and defensive end Charles Perkins each earned Big South-OVC All-Conference first team honors while Dowell signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Denver Broncos.
Prior to joining the Skyhawks, Griffin spent the past few seasons at the FCS level with stops at West Georgia and Northern Arizona on the defensive line.
Griffin joined West Georgia for the spring portion of the 2024 schedule as defensive line coach before joining the Skyhawks during fall camp in lead-up to the season.
Prior to his brief stop with the Wolves, he served in the same role at Northern Arizona for two seasons in 2022 and 2023. During his tenure, he mentored a pair of Big Sky All-Conference honorees in two-time all-conference selection Eloi Kwete and honorable mention pick Mark Ho Ching. Kwete earned first team honors in 2023 after racking up 9.5 sacks to go along with 46 total tackles, five quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles.
Other coaching stops include a stint at fellow Big Sky Conference program Idaho State along with Navarro College, Birmingham-Southern, Hewitt Trussville High School, East Central Community College, Bessemer High School and Lowndes High School. His first stops in his coaching career following his playing days were in the high school ranks before taking a graduate assistant position at Washington State.
A native of Hephzibah, Georgia, Griffin graduated from Hephzibah High School and spent two years starting on the defensive line for The Citadel before transferring to Alabama to conclude his collegiate career. During his tenure with the Crimson Tide, he started for two seasons and recorded 33 total tackles.
Griffin graduated from Alabama in 2005. Him and his wife, Kimi Griffin, have four children: Genesis, Amelie, Kai and Kimari.
Griffin helped make an immediate impact for the Skyhawks in his first season, helping the Skyhawks earn the program’s fourth consecutive conference championship and a pair of All-American performers on the defensive line. The Skyhawks ranked sixth nationally in rushing defense (93.2 ypg) while finishing the season with 82 tackles for loss and 30 sacks. Nose guard Christian Dowell and defensive end Charles Perkins each earned Big South-OVC All-Conference first team honors while Dowell signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Denver Broncos.
Prior to joining the Skyhawks, Griffin spent the past few seasons at the FCS level with stops at West Georgia and Northern Arizona on the defensive line.
Griffin joined West Georgia for the spring portion of the 2024 schedule as defensive line coach before joining the Skyhawks during fall camp in lead-up to the season.
Prior to his brief stop with the Wolves, he served in the same role at Northern Arizona for two seasons in 2022 and 2023. During his tenure, he mentored a pair of Big Sky All-Conference honorees in two-time all-conference selection Eloi Kwete and honorable mention pick Mark Ho Ching. Kwete earned first team honors in 2023 after racking up 9.5 sacks to go along with 46 total tackles, five quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles.
Other coaching stops include a stint at fellow Big Sky Conference program Idaho State along with Navarro College, Birmingham-Southern, Hewitt Trussville High School, East Central Community College, Bessemer High School and Lowndes High School. His first stops in his coaching career following his playing days were in the high school ranks before taking a graduate assistant position at Washington State.
A native of Hephzibah, Georgia, Griffin graduated from Hephzibah High School and spent two years starting on the defensive line for The Citadel before transferring to Alabama to conclude his collegiate career. During his tenure with the Crimson Tide, he started for two seasons and recorded 33 total tackles.
Griffin graduated from Alabama in 2005. Him and his wife, Kimi Griffin, have four children: Genesis, Amelie, Kai and Kimari.