University of Toledo Athletics

Robby Discher is in his fourth season as tight ends coach and special teams coordinator at the University of Toledo. The tight end and special teams units have thrived under Discher’s tutelage.
    
Last season, the Rockets led the nation in blocked kicks (7) and blocked punts (6). Toledo’s special teams units ranked No. 1 in the nation in efficiency, according to Phil Steele magazine and Footballoutsiders.com, and No. 2 according to ESPN.com. Phil Steele named Discher the Special Teams Coordinator of the Year, while Football Scoop named him a finalist for the award.
    
Individually, Diontae Johnson was named the 2018 MAC Special Teams Player of the Year. Johnson also earned first-team All-MAC honors as a punt returner and second-team as a kickoff returner. Placekicker Jameson Vest was named third-team all-league. 
    
In addition, junior Reggie Gilliam led the country with four blocked punts in 2018. Gilliam also earned second-team All-MAC honors as a tight end, with three of his six receptions going for touchdowns. 
    
In 2017, Discher’s special teams units were a big part of  Toledo’s MAC Championship team. He helped guide Toledo’s punt return squad to an average of 10.9 yards per return, tops in the Mid-American Conference and 19th in the country. The Rockets also ranked first in the league in kickoff coverage (42.5). 
    
Two special teams players earned All-MAC honors in 2017. Placekicker Jameson Vest made first-team All-MAC, while Diontae Johnson made first-team at punt return and second-team at kickoff return. Discher also mentored a trio of young tight ends in 2017, led by sophomore Jordan Fisher, who caught 20 passes for 295 yards.
    
In his first season with the Rockets in 2016, Discher coached tight end Michael Roberts through a record-breaking season. Roberts’ 16 touchdown catches led the nation’s tight ends, and was eight more than the next-closest tight end in the FBS. He broke the school record for TDs formerly held by former NFL receiver Lance Moore (14 in 2004) and shattered the school record for TD receptions by a tight end (9 by Don Seymour in 1973). Roberts was named a first-team All-American, was selected to play in both the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, and was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. 
    
In Discher’s first season coordinating the special teams unit, Toledo  finished third in the MAC in punt returns, averaging 9.9 yards per return. The Rockets returned one punt for a touchdown and also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. Senior punter Nick Ellis was third in the league in punting, averaging 43.1 yards per punt on 54 attempts.
    
Discher came to Toledo from Oklahoma State, where he coached wide receivers, tight ends and served as special teams coordinator as a graduate assistant coach for two seasons. Discher joined the Rockets’ staff in December of 2015 and helped UT earn a 32-17 victory over No. 24 Temple at the 2015 Marmot Boca Raton Bowl.
    
Discher grew up in Kansas City and attended William Jewell (Mo.) College where he played wide receiver for the Cardinals from 2006-08. He began his coaching career at Kearney (Mo.) High School in 2009, coaching quarterbacks and linebackers for the Class 4 state champions. From 2010-13 he was at Sam Houston State, where he began as a graduate assistant and eventually was named special teams coordinator. At Sam Houston, Discher was part of teams that won Southland Conference championships in 2011 and 2012. The Bearkats made it to the FCS playoffs three times in Discher’s tenure, advancing to the FCS Championship Game in 2011 and 2012.
    
Discher moved on to Oklahoma State in 2014, where as a graduate assistant he was the special teams coordinator for two seasons. He was named Special Teams Coordinator of the Year in 2014 by FootballScoop.com. He also coached tight ends in 2014 and assisted with the wide receivers in 2015. 
    
Discher earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from William Jewell College in 2009 and his master’s degree in exercise science from Sam Houston State in 2012.
    
Discher and the former Erin Wilson were married in July of 2017. He has two stepchildren, Connor (12) and Sydney (9). They also have a baby girl, Quinn, who was born in February of 2018.

Robby Discher's Coaching Experience
2016-19                Toledo – Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator
2014-15                Oklahoma State – Graduate Assistant
2012-13                Sam Houston State – Special Teams Coordinator
2010-11                Sam Houston State – Graduate Assistant
2009                      Kearney (Mo.) High School – Quarterbacks/Outside Linebackers