North Carolina A&T head football coach Vincent Brown announced Josh Zidenberg as an assistant football coach within the Aggies program on April 5, 2023. Zidenberg will serve as A&T’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
Before receiving his latest position in Aggieland, Zidenberg spent three seasons with the Ball State Cardinals as their passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach. During the 2022 season, the Cardinals had three defensive backs earn All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) honors. Amechi Uzodinma and Nic Jones earned second-team honors and Jordan Riley made the third team.
Uzodinma made 46 tackles, had seven pass breakups, three interceptions, 10 passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery during the 2022 season. Jones had 10 breakups, two picks and 12 passes defended, and Riley ended the season from his safety position with 96 tackles, three for loss, 12 pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Team captain Bryce Cosby earned All-MAC honors the previous season, ending his career with 392 tackles, 10th all-time in Ball State program history. In addition, the Cardinals had the third-best scoring defense in the MAC, thanks partly to the secondary. Ball State intercepted 15 passes for 14th best in the nation. Ball State’s 15 picks helped the Cardinals earn a plus-seven turnover margin.
In 2020, Ball State won the program’s first MAC championship in 24 years and secured its first-ever bowl victory with a win in the Arizona Bowl. The Cardinals ended the season with their first-ever end-of-the-year appearance in the Associated Press and Coaches’ Polls. Antonio Phillips and Uzodinma returned interceptions for touchdowns, marking the program’s first pick-sixes since 2010.
Zidenberg has also made coaching stops at William & Mary (2019), Western Illinois (2018), Lafayette College (2017), VMI (2015-16), UConn (2014), and he worked as a graduate assistant at the University of Virginia (2009-11). As the special teams coordinator and safeties coach at William & Mary, Zidenberg had the Tribe ranked among the top-10 nationally (FCS) in blocked kicks (6) and kickoff returns (23.7 yards per return).
His professional career started in 2008 as a player personnel assistant with the Miami Dolphins. He earned three varsity letters as a running back and on special teams at UVa., from 2004-07. He won the team’s George Welsh Award in 2006 for most outstanding special teams player and the
John Polzer Award in 2007 for ability, sportsmanship and character).
Zidenberg received a bachelor’s degree from UVa., in 2008. He earned his master’s in administration and supervision from the same school in 2011.
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