Collin Bauer enters his first season with the New York Jets and his first in the NFL after most recently serving as the defensive coordinator for the Michigan Panthers of the UFL (2024-25). Bauer joins the Jets with over 15 years of coaching experience, including his first season as a coach with Jets Defensive Coordinator Brian Duker at Towson (2010).

Bauer first joined the Michigan Panthers staff as their defensive line coach in the final season of the USFL (2023). In the first season following the USFL and XFL merger to form the UFL (2024), Bauer was promoted to defensive coordinator/defensive line coach, helping the Panthers to consecutive postseason appearances, advancing to the 2025 UFL Championship Game.

Under Bauer's leadership, the Panthers became the only team in the league to allow 81.0 or fewer rushing yards per game in consecutive seasons, including a league-low 80.9 in his final season with the team (2025). Additionally, the Panthers defense allowed 177 points in both seasons, ranking in the top half of the league each year. In just his first season in the role (2024), the Panthers registered 30.0 sacks, the second-most in the league.

Bauer returned to his alma mater Towson, where he spent five seasons (2018-22) serving in various roles on defense. He joined the program as the linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator (2018-20), before elevating his responsibilities to include defensive run game coordinator/defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator (2021-22). He was responsible for all football recruiting operations throughout his five-year tenure with the program, while simultaneously helping guide several defenders to All-CAA honors.

In two seasons at Rutgers (2016–17), Bauer began as a defensive line graduate assistant (2016) before being elevated to a defensive quality control coach (2017). He helped develop future NFL players Kemoko Turay and Sebastian Joseph-Day, guiding Joseph-Day to an honorable mention All-Big Ten season after he posted a career-high 41 tackles (2017).

He joined the Scarlet Knights from Maryland, where he also served as a defensive line graduate assistant for two seasons (2014-15) while earning his master's certificate in real estate development. At Maryland, he was part of a defensive staff that ranked 13th in the nation in sacks (35; 2015), helping Yannick Ngakoue break the single-season school record with 13.5. Bauer helped develop several future NFL players, including Ngakoue and Quinton Jefferson.

Bauer spent one season as a defensive backs graduate assistant at The Citadel (2013). While in college, he spent three years as a student assistant coach at Towson while earning his bachelor's degree in social sciences (2013).

A Maryland native, Bauer and his wife, Julie, have two children, Eva and Jack.

FLIGHT PATH

New York Jets 2026-Present

Defensive Assistant 2026

Michigan Panthers (UFL/USFL)| 2023-25

Defensive Coordinator 2024-25

Defensive Line Coach 2023-25

Towson 2010-12, 2018-22

Defensive Run Game Coord./Recruiting Coord./Defensive Line  2021-22

Linebackers/Recruiting Coord. 2018-20

Defensive Student Assistant 2010-12

Rutgers 2016-17

Defensive Quality Control Coach 2017

Defensive Graduate Assistant 2016