University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Assistant Special Teams/STAR
Mike Priefer Jr. is in his second stint with Pitt Football, currently serving as assistant special teams/STAR coach.
Priefer Jr. returned to Pittsburgh after spending the 2025 season at Incarnate Word as the Cardinals’ special teams coordinator. He previously worked in the SEC at Kentucky (2023-24) as a quality control coach for special teams, working directly with special teams coordinator Jay Boulware.
Prior to Kentucky, Priefer Jr. coached the 2022 season at Western Illinois as the special teams coordinator, tight ends coach and fullbacks coach. Under his direction, the Leathernecks’ special teams units led the Missouri Valley Conference in net kickoff yardage, while the punt defense (-0.5 yards per return), kick return defense and field goal percentage each ranked second in the league.
He spent the 2021 season at Northwood University (Division II) as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. Northwood led the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in kickoff return yards and yards per game, field goal percentage and blocked kicks, and ranked second in the league in punt average. Priefer Jr. coached punter Parker Blust to first-team All-GLIAC honors and helped return specialist Tajae Leslie earn second-team all-league recognition.
Priefer Jr. began his coaching career in 2018 as a special teams graduate assistant at Minnesota under head coach P.J. Fleck. He then spent three seasons (2019-21) at Pitt as a defensive graduate assistant under Head Coach Pat Narduzzi, primarily working with the linebackers.
A native of Mound, Minn., Priefer Jr. was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at defensive back at Wisconsin–Eau Claire. He earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology sports pedagogy from Wisconsin–Eau Claire in 2017.
