SMU Athletics

Warren Messer enters his fourth season on the Hilltop in 2026, serving as the nickels coach and a senior analyst.

An assistant cornerbacks coach in the 2025 season, Messer worked with a key unit of an elite SMU defense. The Mustangs led the conference in both passes intercepted (18) and red zone defense (0.702), good for eighth and fifth in the nation, respectively. SMU had four cornerbacks log 30-or-more tackles this campaign.

Deuce Harmon recorded a career-best season, posting career highs in total tackles (34) and solo tackles (23) as well as putting up seven pass breakups. Harmon garnered All-ACC Honorable Mention accolades for his dynamic play in 2025.

William Nettles and Marcellus Barnes Jr. also logged breakout seasons. Nettles notched 37 tackles along with four pass breakups and an interception while Barnes Jr. posted 32 tackles, including two tackles-for-loss, six pass breakups and two takeaways.

In 2024, Messer was a quality control analyst for linebackers at Indiana. He was a part of a Hoosier team that made the CFP for the first time in program history. 

He previously spent two seasons as a defensive quality control assistant (2022-23) at SMU. Three defenders earned All-American Athletic Conference and a pair of Mustangs either signed as an undrafted free agent or received an invitation to rookie mini-camps. The 2023 defense ranked top-15 nationally in nine defensive categories.
 
Messer tutored Cole Coleman (first team) and Tre’Von Jones (third team) to All-Coastal Athletic Association honors in one season as cornerbacks coach at Elon (2021).
 
Messer served as a graduate assistant for defense at Liberty (2020) and helped Anthony Butler and Storey Jackson earn All-Independent honors. The Flames won the 2020 Cure Bowl and finished top-25 nationally in total defense (317.7 ypg; No. 11).
 
He began his coaching journey as the inside linebackers coach at Leesville Road High School (2019) in Raleigh, North Carolina. He helped LRHS to a 13-1 record and coached a pair of all-league selections.
 
A four-year linebacker at Elon (2015-18), he finished his career No. 10 in Phoenix history with 318 tackles and tied for No. 2 with 13.0 sacks. He was a STATS FCS All-American in 2017 and 2018 and first Elon football player to earn first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association twice in a career.
 
Messer finished 10th in the final voting for the 2017 Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the country, and spent time in camp with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.
 
Messer earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management from Elon (2019).