Associate Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator / Safeties Coach
John Kelling joined the Southern Utah football staff in January 2022 and has played a key role in the program’s growth under Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald. Over his first three seasons, Kelling helped guide the Thunderbirds to an 18-16 overall record and a 10-4 mark in United Athletic Conference play. In 2024, Kelling helped lead the T-Birds to a strong 7-5 (6-2) season, finishing tied for second in the UAC.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Kelling will shift his coaching focus to the linebacker corps, bringing a wealth of experience to the position group.
Prior to arriving in Cedar City, Kelling served as the head coach at Lock Haven University beginning in January 2020. Before his time at LHU, he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Frostburg State University, where he worked alongside Coach Fitzgerald. The pair originally connected in Maryland after Kelling spent two seasons coaching at the University of Mary in North Dakota in multiple roles.
Kelling’s coaching résumé includes an eight-year stint (2004–2011) at the University of North Dakota, where he began by mentoring defensive backs before being promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2006. During that tenure, he coached against Southern Utah several times.
He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Minnesota State Mankato (1991–1995), and also spent time at Augustana College in South Dakota.
As a player, Kelling earned national recognition as Football Gazette’s Division II National Defensive Player of the Year in 1991. He holds a bachelor's degree from MSU Mankato and a master's degree in recreation and sports science from Ohio University.
