Lipscomb Academy hires former Hawaii high school football coach as defensive coordinator

Lipscomb Academy finished the 2025 Tennessee high school football season with a 3-8 record. That’s a steep fall from grace for a team that went 13-0 and won the Division II-AA state championship three years before.

As the program aspires to reclaim its place as one of the state’s perennial competitors, they hired Matthew Wright to improve one side of the ball. As posted on the team’s official account on X, Wright will be the Mustangs’ defensive coordinator and he has the credentials to back that hiring.

Wright has already worked with returning Lipscomb Academy head coach Trent Dilfer as assistant linebackers coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Wright was also a senior analyst at Utah Tech and a former head coach of Hawaii’s St. Louis High School. He took over the Crusaders in 2009 and led the squad to a 34-14 overall record in five seasons.

Matthew Wright also worked as defensive coordinator at Kamehameha High School before joining Utah Tech. He was also the defensive coordinator of the Polynesian Bowl and the Hula Bowl for 15 years.

Before his coaching career, Wright played linebacker at the University of Hawaii and helped the Rainbow Warriors win two conference championships. The current Lipscomb Academy DC played high school football at Iolani and earned All-State defensive honors during his senior season.

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