Updated on Jan. 10, 2024
C.J. McGorisk was hired as an assistant coach under head coach Sean Lewis on December 15, 2023. He works with the Aztec safeties.
McGorisk comes to The Mesa with defensive coordinator, Eric Schmidt, from the University of Washington. With the Huskies, he was a quality control coach for the defense helping UW earn a College Football Playoff berth as the No. 2 seed, a Pac-12 Championship, and a perfect, undefeated 12-0 regular season.
Working with the defense, he helped mentor six all-Pac-12 honorees including top safety Dominque Hampton.
Prior to his time in the Pacific Northwest, McGorisk was at Indiana as a defensive graduate assistant for a season, where he worked with the linebackers. With the Hoosiers, he oversaw linebacker Aaron Casey earn all-Big Ten honors from the B1G media and Pro Football Focus.
He also spent time as a graduate assistant at Wake Forest University in 2019 and 2020, where he assisted with the defensive ends and outside linebackers. There, he helped develop end Carlos “Boogie” Bashom Jr., who earned All-ACC honors both campaigns and was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
McGorisk began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Fresno State. With the Bulldogs, he worked with the defensive line in both 2017 and 2018. The Bulldogs ranked in the Top 10 nationally in scoring defense and the Top 20 in overall defense both years.
Following a 1-11 record in 2016, Fresno went 22-6 with two bowl appearances and a conference championship during his tenure.
McGorisk graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in movement science and served as a defensive student assistant, strength and conditioning intern, and student equipment manager with the Wolverines.
A Wixom, Mich., native, he was a quarterback at Walled Lake Western High School, where he served as a 2011 team captain.
THE C.J. McGORISK FILE
Position: Safeties Coach
Hometown: Wixom, Mich.
Education: Michigan (2016)
CAREER IN FOOTBALL
AS A COACH
2024-present: San Diego State (safeties)
2022-23: Washington (defensive quality control)
2021: Indiana (defensive graduate assistant)
2019-20: Wake Forest (defensive graduate assistant)
2017-18: Fresno State (defensive graduate assistant)
2016: Michigan (defensive student assistant)