Bio

Dr. Brett Shufelt enters his fifth season as defensive coordinator at Gulf Coast, the architect of one of the nation’s stingiest defenses with one national championship already under his belt.

Since he’s been in charge, 48 Bulldogs defenders have gone on to sign with four-year schools. He sent 10 from the 2022 team, including DB LaDareyen Craig (South Alabama), DB Jamarcus Jones (UAB) to NCAA FBS teams.

In 2022, the Bulldogs sacked the quarterback 34 times, 10^th-most in the country.

In 2021, Gulf Coast was the fifth-stingiest team in the country against the pass (138.0 yards per game).

The 2020 Bulldogs ranked in the top 10 in total defense and had the nation’s sixth-stingiest run defense. Twelve players from the squad signed to play at four-year schools, including linebacker Navonteque Strong at LSU, defensive lineman Brian Merritt at Houston and defensive end Jae’Vien Gill at Central Florida.

In his first season in charge of the defense, Shufelt helped lead Gulf Coast to its fifth national championship in 2019, largely thanks to his dominating unit.

The Regulators, as they’re known, led the country in total defense (191.1 yards per game) and was third in passing defense (128.9 ypg) and fourth in rushing defense (60.9 ypg). The Bulldogs allowed only 12.3 points per game, second-best in the country.

It adds to an impressive list of accomplishments in the coaching and education fields he brought to Perkinston. He was linebackers coach in 2018 before being elevated to defensive coordinator.

He came to Gulf Coast after spending the 2017 season as outside linebackers coach at Oxford High School. He was the assistant director of Mississippi College’s Equestrian Program the previous year after having been the secondary coach at Jackson Prep. 

Shufelt was at Copiah-Lincoln Community College from 2004-15, where he was a history instructor as well as serving as defensive coordinator and defensive line coach from 2004-09 and linebackers, secondary and special teams coach in 2014-15. The Wolves won three MACJC South Division titles, made three state title game appearances and won a bowl championship during his tenure.

Shufelt has been awarded as Co-Lin Advisor of the Year, Co-Lin Alumni Instructor of the Year and Bradberry Teacher of the Year.

He was an instructor at Steve “Air” McNair Football Camps from 2004-09 and served as a graduate assistant and outside linebackers coach at Mississippi State from 1995-97.

Shufelt also served a graduate assistant at New Mexico State, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Western New Mexico, linebacker coach at Silver City (N.M.) High School, and assistant at Amphitheater and Sabino high schools in Tucson, Ariz. 

He served as an intern for the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. 

Shufelt earned his bachelor’s degree at Western New Mexico State University and his master’s and doctorate degree at Mississippi State University.

He was raised on working cattle ranches in the Southwest and has experience in many types of equestrian disciplines, including eventing, dressage, cutting, team roping and rodeo. Shufelt competes in both amateur hunters and jumpers.

Shufelt and his wife Lyndy Berryhill have a daughter, Cassidy, who is 4. He also has another daughter, Mimi.