Jonathan Patke - Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers - Football Coaches

Jonathan Patke

Title:
Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Phone:
(919) 684-2635

Jonathan Patke joined the Blue Devil gridiron program in December 2023 and serves as defensive coordinator. He also coaches Duke’s linebackers.

Patke worked for Manny Diaz on three previous defensive staffs, most recently from 2016-21 at Miami, where Patke served as a quality control analyst for two seasons (2016-17) before being elevated to the linebackers coach his final four years (2018-21). The pair also spent time together at Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech.

The 2025 season saw some of Patke’s best in-season adjustments as his linebacker group was riddled by injuries. Despite the difficulties, the Blue Devils closed the year on a four-game winning streak to capture the ACC Championship and a bowl crown. Nick Morris Jr. was lost for the season in the fourth game, moving Luke Mergott into the starting position. Mergott went on to produce game-sealing interceptions versus Virginia and Arizona State in the ACC Championship Game and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl as well as finish with a team second-best 90 tackles.

Overall, Patke’s aggressive, attacking style helped Duke finish 11th nationally in fumbles recovered (10), 12th in turnover margin (+0.71), 14th in turnovers gained (24) and 16th in tackles for loss per game (6.6). Cornerback Chandler Rivers repeated as an All-ACC selection while defensive tackle Aaron Hall and defensive ends Vincent Anthony Jr. and Wesley Williams earned all-league honors.

During his first season in Durham, Patke guided a standout unit that finished in the top 25 nationally in tackles for loss per game (second/8.9), fumbles recovered (second/14), sacks per game (fourth/3.3), turnovers gained (seventh/27) and turnover margin (24th/+0.62). Within the ACC, Patke’s unit topped the league in tackles for loss per game, sacks per game, fumbles recovered and turnovers gained and ranked second in passing yards allowed per game (213.5) and third in fewest yards per play (5.0).

Individually, nine defensive players received All-ACC accolades with All-America honors going to cornerback Rivers and safety Terry Moore. Rivers was an All-America selection by four publications while Moore was a Second Team All-ACC choice and a Second Team All-America by Action Network. Three of Patke’s starting linebackers received all-league recognition with Ozzie Nicholas a third-team pick and Alex Howard and Tre Freeman honorable mention selections. Howard added an All-America nod from College Football Network. Nicholas led Duke with 100 tackles while Howard paced the squad with 14.5 tackles for loss. Freeman also had one of Duke’s most memorable plays of the season, sealing the win against North Carolina with a fourth-quarter interception that allowed the Blue Devils to run out the clock and bring the Victory Bell back to Durham.

Patke arrived in Durham after a one-year stint as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Texas State University, where he helped guide the Bobcats to the program’s first eight-win season and FBS bowl appearance. Patke’s defense forced a season-high seven turnovers, including two interceptions for touchdowns by linebacker Brian Holloway, en route to the Bobcats’ 45-21 rout of Rice at the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, marking their first bowl win in program history.

During his time in San Marcos, Texas, the Bobcats ranked second nationally in tackles for loss per game (8.3) and ninth in sacks per game (3.1). Additionally, Patke mentored Holloway to All-Sun Belt Second Team honors after a Texas State FBS record 16.0 tackles for loss.

Patke spent the 2022 season as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at the University of Incarnate Word, where he helped the Cardinals earn a final FCS national ranking of No. 4, a trip to the FCS semifinals and a Southland Conference championship.

Patke’s UIW defense ranked in the top-10 nationally in tackles for loss (first/9.2), defensive touchdowns (third/4), passing efficiency defense (third/105.27), sacks (ninth/3.1) and turnovers gained (10th/24). Patke tutored All-America linebacker Kelechi Anyalebechi, who was the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player.

Prior to his time at Incarnate Word, Patke spent six seasons at Miami with Diaz in a variety of roles, most recently as the inside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. Miami earned bowl berths in all six seasons with invitations to the 2016 Russell Athletic, 2017 Capital One Orange, 2018 New Era Pinstripe, 2019 Walk-On’s Independence, 2020 Cheez-It and 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun bowls.

Over Patke’s final three seasons in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes compiled 21 wins and ranked in the top-10 nationally in tackles for loss and in the top-35 in sacks. In 2021 the squad finished the regular season winning five of its last six games, including victories over top-20 opponents in No. 18 NC State and No. 17 Pittsburgh.

The 2020 Hurricanes finished 8-3 (7-2 ACC) overall, marking the second time in program history Miami won seven ACC games. In 2019, the Hurricanes were again bowl eligible after a 6-6 regular season. In 2018, Patke helped the Hurricanes rank fourth nationally in total defense (278.9) and first in tackles for loss (10.5), third down conversion percentage (.253) and passing defense (135.6).

The Hurricanes ranked in the top-15 nationally in six categories during the 2017 campaign – first in sacks per game (3.4), third in turnovers gained (31), fourth in tackles for loss per game (8.5), fifth in turnover margin (+1.00), eighth in fumble recoveries (14) and 15th in interceptions (17). In addition, Miami won the 2017 ACC Coastal Division and earned a berth in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

In his first season at Miami, Patke helped the Hurricanes rank fifth nationally in tackles for loss (up from 105th in 2015), tied for eighth in touchdowns allowed (up from 61st), ninth in yards allowed per play (up from 86th), 12th in scoring defense (up from 77th), 20th in total defense (up from 69th) and 22nd in sacks (up from 70th).

Miami’s special teams unit also thrived under Patke’s guidance. In his final three seasons, the Hurricanes ranked in the top-10 nationally in net punting, including a No. 1 mark in 2020, which set the NCAA record for net punting in a single-season. Additionally, Miami finished ranked in the top-30 in punt return defense in two of his three seasons as the special teams coordinator.

Individually, Patke mentored punter Lou Hedley and kicker Jose Borregales in 2020 to All-America caliber seasons. Hedley was tabbed a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, which honors the nation’s top punter, after ranking second in FBS in punting (47.2 yards per punt). Patke also coached the 2020 Lou Groza Award winner, Borregales, who finished the year 20-of-22 on field goal attempts and a perfect 37-of-37 on extra point attempts during regular season.

Patke joined Miami’s staff after spending the 2015 season at Mississippi State, where he worked under head coach Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Diaz as a graduate assistant. Patke helped the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record and a 51-28 victory over NC State in the 2015 Belk Bowl. MSU limited opponents to 23.2 points per game and ranked in the nation’s top 10 in red zone defense and tackles for loss.

Patke and Diaz first worked together in 2014 on Skip Holtz’s staff at Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs finished the year with a 9-5 record, won the Conference USA West title and captured the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl after defeating Illinois, 35-18. Louisiana Tech posted a nation’s best 42 turnovers gained that season, including an impressive 26 interceptions, and finished fourth in tackles for loss (8.1 per game).

Patke began his coaching career at UIW, where he spent two seasons (2011-12) as a defensive graduate assistant. A native of Houston, Texas, Patke graduated from Stephen F. Austin University with a bachelor’s degree in management in 2008. He was a four-year letterwinner (2005-06-07-08) and a three-year starter in football. He added a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis on sports management from Incarnate Word in 2013.

He is married to the former Hailey Fields of Youngstown, Ohio, and the couple has one son, Beckett.

THE JONATHAN PATKE FILE
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Education: Stephen F. Austin, 2008 (Management) and Incarnate Word, 2013 (Sports Management)
Wife: Hailey
Birthday: May 31, 1986

PATKE'S COACHING CAREER