COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Jay Bright has joined the Lindsey Wilson football coaching staff as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, head coach Phil Kleckler announced on Wednesday.
Bright comes to Lindsey Wilson after four seasons at Bethel (Tenn.), where he served in the same capacity each of the last three seasons. Bright helped the Wildcats to a 29-6 record as offensive coordinator, including a pair of NAIA Football Championship Series appearances. He was voted by the conference head coaches as the Mid-South Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023.
"I am extremely grateful to Coach Kleckler for extending this opportunity at Lindsey Wilson College," Bright said. "My family and I are excited to join the community on campus and in Columbia."
Before Bethel, Bright coached four seasons over two stints at his alma mater, Cumberlands (Ky.). He served as the Patriots offensive coordinator from 2018-20. In his first coaching job in 2013, Bright served as the Cumberlands quarterbacks coach, helping Cumberlands reach the NAIA National Championship game. Bright also coached at Mississippi College from 2014-17, first as quarterbacks coach and then as wide receivers coach.
"We are very excited to have Coach Bright, his wife Mariah, and their family join the Lindsey Wilson football program," Kleckler said. "Jay's experience in running an offense, his familiarity with the Mid-South Conference, and his playoff pedigree as both a player and coach was everything we were looking for in filling this position.
"Most importantly, he is a good person who will work tirelessly to ensure our student-athletes will have a positive experience in pursuit of their academic and athletic goals," Kleckler added. "Coach Bright and the rest of our staff are already working towards the 2025 season and our quest to go 1and0 daily."
Bright led the Bethel offense to NAIA top-10 rankings in scoring in 2022 and 2023. The Wildcats were 10th in the NAIA averaging 37.8 points per game in 2022, and fifth in the nation in 2023 averaging 41.9 points. Bethel ranked in the top 15 in yards per game in 2022 and 2023, averaging over 415 yards in both seasons. In his three seasons at the helm of the Wildcats' offense, Bright helped Bethel average 36.2 points and 402.9 yards per game.
Bright earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Cumberlands in 2012. He earned All Mid-South Conference honorable mention honors three times as a quarterback, was a four-time Academic All-MSC performer, and was the team's offensive most valuable player in 2009. Bright helped the Patriots to a 26-8 career record as a starter and was part of four MSC titles. He ranks second in the program's history in career passing yards (3,666) and passing touchdowns (37).
"I'm eager to hit the recruiting trail to talk to future Blue Raiders and to work with our current student-athletes during spring practice to build on the past successes here at Lindsey Wilson," Bright said. "I'm confident we will have an exciting offense that highlights our skillset while complementing our outstanding defense. I'm excited about the direction of this program and look forward to contributing to our winning tradition."
