ECU’s football program has officially announced its new offensive line coach, Alex Huettel.
Below are more details from ECU Sports Information.
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Photo illustration Alex Huettel (ECU Sports Information)
Huettel’s appointment to the Pirates’ staff ends a three-year stint at Old Dominion University where he scored as the offensive line coach (2023-25). During his time with the Monarchs, he helped guide a program to 21 wins and a pair of bowl game appearances.
In 2025, ODU posted a 10-3 overall record which included six win in the Sun Belt Conference and a 24-10 victory over South Florida in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl. His offensive line unit helped the Monarchs rank among the NCAA offensive leaders in rushing offense (seventh/283.3 pg), total offense (16th/454.7 pg), tackles for loss allowed (26th/4.38 pg), scoring offense (29th/32.0 ppg), first down offense (31st/293) and sacks allowed (36th/1.54 pg). Senior’s Zach Barlev (first team) and Ryan Joyce (second team) earned All-Sun Belt Conference accolades and provided protection for quarterback Colton Joseph, who was named the leagues offensive player of the year.
Huettel helped lead the 2024 Monarchs to be the top rushing team in the Sun Belt Conference and 14th best rushing team in the country, as ODU rushed for 209.8 yards per game and 2,517 yards on the season. The 2,517 yards were the second most in a season in program history.
ODU rushed for a single-game program record 406 yards in the season finale win at Arkansas State. Offensive lineman Zach Barlev earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors and was named second-team All-State.
In his first season in Norfolk, Huettel coached an offensive line that saw four players start all 13 games and the fifth miss just one game. Huettel led a group that was anchored by a player of seniors that began their ODU careers as walk-ons in center Xavier Black and Leroy Thomas. Left guard Stephon Dubose-Bourne started all 13 games in his first season as a starter and Santana Saunders started four games and left tackle and nine at right tackle in his first year as a full-time starter.
Huettel comes to ODU from Fordham University where he was the Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator. In 2022, Fordham led the FCS and had the second-best offense in FCS history with 609 yards per game and ranked second in the country with 49.5 points per game. The offensive line helped paved the way, averaging 196.5 rushing yards per game. Among that offensive line, three players earned All-Patriot League honors, while senior Phil Saleh earned second-team All-America honors.
In the Spring of 2021, the Fordham offensive line helped the Rams lead the Patriot League and rank 17th in the FCS, in scoring averaging 31.7 points/game. The Rams offense also led the league and were 14th in the country in total offense (433.3 yards/game).
The 2021 Fordham offensive line was led by consensus All-American Nick Zakelj, who earned a spot in the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Zakelj was drafted in the fifth round by the San Francisco 49ers. He was joined by Phil Saleh in receiving First Team All-Patriot League honors in both the Spring & Fall season.
Huettel arrived at Fordham after working with the University of Cincinnati football program in 2019 where he served as a graduate assistant, working with the offensive line. The Bearcats went 11-3 in 2019, 7-1 in the American Athletic Conference, and fell to No. 17 Memphis in the AAC Championship game. Cincinnati then defeated Boston College, 38-6, in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl and finished ranked 21st in the nation.
Prior to Cincinnati, Huettel served as the offensive line coach at Gannon University (Division II, Pa.) in 2018. His responsibilities included developing run and pass protection techniques with the offensive line and tight ends. Behind the offensive line, the Knights rushed for 2,173 yards (197.5 yards/game) that fall.
Huettel got his start in coaching as an offensive graduate assistant at Bowling Green University from 2016-2017.
The Pickerington, Ohio, native was a standout offensive lineman for Bowling Green from 2011-2015. A two-time MAC champion, Huettel started a program-record 55 consecutive games after redshirting in 2011. He was the anchor of an offensive line that helped Bowling Green set program records in points (591), first downs (389), passing yards (5,135), total yardage (7,655) and total offensive touchdowns (81) in 2015. Huettel earned All-MAC honors three times (2013-15) and Phil Steele first-team All-America accolades as a senior.
A team captain during his final two seasons, the right guard was selected to play in the 2016 East-West Shrine Game. He was also invited to minicamp for the NFL’s New York Giants in 2016.
Huettel earned a bachelor’s degree in human development and family service from Bowling Green in 2015. He and his wife, Danielle, have two sons, Boone and Gus.