D.J. Vokolek was named a defensive assistant coach at Northwestern by Head Coach David Braun on Aug. 11, 2023, and later moved into an assistant defensive line coach role, primarily working with defense ends, ahead of the 2025 campaign. He is entering his fourth season on staff at Northwestern in 2026.
Vokolek helped produce strong 2025 campaigns from NU defensive end mainstays Aidan Hubbard and Michael Kilbane. Hubbard finished his graduate season as the No. 5 all-time sack leader at Northwestern with 20.5 career sacks after registering 28 total tackles, 14 solo tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and a career-high 7.5 sacks. He logged at least 0.5 sacks in seven of 11 regular-season appearances. Kilbane earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after posting 43 stops, 17 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, all of which were career highs, in a breakout junior season on the defensive line.
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In 2025, the NU defense allowed 19.8 points per game as a team, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 23rd in FBS. It marked the best scoring defense by a Northwestern team since 2020, and the best in a full season since 2015. Northwestern’s defense ranked fourth in the Big Ten, producing 20 total takeaways during the season (11 fumble recoveries, 9 interceptions), while the team’s 11 fumble recoveries also led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the nation.
He helped the Wildcats to an 8-5 record, a 5-4 mark in conference games which tied for second in the Big Ten West and a Las Vegas Bowl Victory over Utah in his first season at Northwestern in 2023. The ‘Cats intercepted 13 passes, the third-most in the Big Ten and 25th nationally, and allowed just 182.9 yards per game through the air which ranked sixth in the conference and 15th nationally. According to SP+, a tempo and opponent-adjusted metric that measures efficiency, Northwestern recorded a defensive rating of 18.6, the 18th best mark nationally.
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Vokolek came to Evanston holding three decades worth of coaching experience, most recently spending the 2022 season as Nebraska's senior defensive quality control coach and the 2023 offseason as defensive coordinator at Southern Illinois.
Braun and Vokolek overlapped at Northern Iowa during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, where Braun coached the defensive line and linebackers while Vokolek was the team's assistant head coach and linebackers coach. Vokolek served as the assistant head coach for the Panthers from 2017 to 2021.
Prior to his second stint with Northern Iowa, Vokolek was the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach at Buffalo in 2015. Before taking the Buffalo job, Vokolek spent nine seasons at Missouri State (2006-14), occupying the role of associate head coach and defensive coordinator. With the Bears, he coached 14 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer selections and 25 all-conference picks on the defensive side of the ball.
Vokolek made his first stint at Northern Iowa from 2003-05, serving three seasons as assistant head coach. He helped lead the Panthers to a pair of MVFC titles and an appearance in the FCS National Championship game in 2005. In conjunction with his role as assistant head coach, he was the linebackers coach in 2003, co-defensive coordinator in 2004 and defensive coordinator in 2005.
The first 10 years of Vokolek's coaching career were spent in the Cornhusker State. His first job came at Nebraska-Omaha as a graduate assistant before taking his first full-time coaching gig at Wayne State College as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. After one season at Wayne State, he returned to UNO, staying for six seasons from 1997-02. From 1997 to 1999, Vokolek served as the team's linebackers coach and academic coordinator before assuming the role of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2000 to 2002.
Vokolek was a three-year team captain and three-time NCAA Division II All-Nebraska selection as a linebacker at Nebraska-Kearney. His son Travis is a tight end in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals.
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Coaching Career
2023-Present: Northwestern, Defensive Assistant, Assistant Defensive Line (Defensive Ends)
2023 Offseason: Southern Illinois, Defensive Coordinator
2022: Nebraska, Senior Defensive Quality Control
2017-21: Northern Iowa, Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers
2015: Buffalo, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs
2006-14: Missouri State, Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
2004-2005: Northern Iowa, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2003: Northern Iowa, Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers
2000-02: Nebraska-Omaha, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
1997-99: Nebraska-Omaha, Linebackers/Academic Coordinator
1996: Wayne State (Neb.), Defensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator
1995: Nebraska-Omaha, Graduate Assistant/Defensive Line
1993-94: Nebraska-Omaha, Graduate Assistant/Linebackers
Vokolek helped produce strong 2025 campaigns from NU defensive end mainstays Aidan Hubbard and Michael Kilbane. Hubbard finished his graduate season as the No. 5 all-time sack leader at Northwestern with 20.5 career sacks after registering 28 total tackles, 14 solo tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and a career-high 7.5 sacks. He logged at least 0.5 sacks in seven of 11 regular-season appearances. Kilbane earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after posting 43 stops, 17 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, all of which were career highs, in a breakout junior season on the defensive line.
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In 2025, the NU defense allowed 19.8 points per game as a team, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 23rd in FBS. It marked the best scoring defense by a Northwestern team since 2020, and the best in a full season since 2015. Northwestern’s defense ranked fourth in the Big Ten, producing 20 total takeaways during the season (11 fumble recoveries, 9 interceptions), while the team’s 11 fumble recoveries also led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the nation.
He helped the Wildcats to an 8-5 record, a 5-4 mark in conference games which tied for second in the Big Ten West and a Las Vegas Bowl Victory over Utah in his first season at Northwestern in 2023. The ‘Cats intercepted 13 passes, the third-most in the Big Ten and 25th nationally, and allowed just 182.9 yards per game through the air which ranked sixth in the conference and 15th nationally. According to SP+, a tempo and opponent-adjusted metric that measures efficiency, Northwestern recorded a defensive rating of 18.6, the 18th best mark nationally.
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Vokolek came to Evanston holding three decades worth of coaching experience, most recently spending the 2022 season as Nebraska's senior defensive quality control coach and the 2023 offseason as defensive coordinator at Southern Illinois.
Braun and Vokolek overlapped at Northern Iowa during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, where Braun coached the defensive line and linebackers while Vokolek was the team's assistant head coach and linebackers coach. Vokolek served as the assistant head coach for the Panthers from 2017 to 2021.
Prior to his second stint with Northern Iowa, Vokolek was the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach at Buffalo in 2015. Before taking the Buffalo job, Vokolek spent nine seasons at Missouri State (2006-14), occupying the role of associate head coach and defensive coordinator. With the Bears, he coached 14 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer selections and 25 all-conference picks on the defensive side of the ball.
Vokolek made his first stint at Northern Iowa from 2003-05, serving three seasons as assistant head coach. He helped lead the Panthers to a pair of MVFC titles and an appearance in the FCS National Championship game in 2005. In conjunction with his role as assistant head coach, he was the linebackers coach in 2003, co-defensive coordinator in 2004 and defensive coordinator in 2005.
The first 10 years of Vokolek's coaching career were spent in the Cornhusker State. His first job came at Nebraska-Omaha as a graduate assistant before taking his first full-time coaching gig at Wayne State College as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. After one season at Wayne State, he returned to UNO, staying for six seasons from 1997-02. From 1997 to 1999, Vokolek served as the team's linebackers coach and academic coordinator before assuming the role of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2000 to 2002.
Vokolek was a three-year team captain and three-time NCAA Division II All-Nebraska selection as a linebacker at Nebraska-Kearney. His son Travis is a tight end in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals.
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Coaching Career
2023-Present: Northwestern, Defensive Assistant, Assistant Defensive Line (Defensive Ends)
2023 Offseason: Southern Illinois, Defensive Coordinator
2022: Nebraska, Senior Defensive Quality Control
2017-21: Northern Iowa, Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers
2015: Buffalo, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs
2006-14: Missouri State, Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
2004-2005: Northern Iowa, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2003: Northern Iowa, Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers
2000-02: Nebraska-Omaha, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
1997-99: Nebraska-Omaha, Linebackers/Academic Coordinator
1996: Wayne State (Neb.), Defensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator
1995: Nebraska-Omaha, Graduate Assistant/Defensive Line
1993-94: Nebraska-Omaha, Graduate Assistant/Linebackers