Football
- Title:
- Special Teams Coordinator/ Tight Ends Coach
- Email:
- football@kent.edu
- Phone:
- 330-672-3350
Zac Barton joined Kent State in January of 2018 as special teams coordinator.
The 2021 season saw kicker Andrew Glass earn a third-team All-MAC selection. Glass made 21 of his 28 field goal attempts, including a career-long of 43 yards at Akron. He was perfect on PATs, hitting 50 out of 50. The Flashes special teams were especially stout when it came to defense. They ranked 8th nationally in kick return defense and 11th nationally in punt return defense.
Barton’s special teams unit went 4-6 on field goal attempts in 2020, in the shortened season in which Kent State only played four games. The net punt average was 40 yards per attempt, the kickoff return average was 17.25 yards, and the Flashes went 1-2 on onside kick attempts.
Barton's teams unit arguably made the most influential play of the 2019 season to earn them a spot in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Bowl. Down 27-6 in the fourth quarter against Buffalo with bowl eligibility hanging in the balance, the Flashes needed a comeback. After cutting the lead to 27-20, the defense forced a punt. Jeremiah Salaam made the play of the game and blocked the punt, giving the Flashes the ball at the 4-yard line. Kent State made the biggest comeback of the college football season and kept their bowl hopes alive in large part to the teams play.
The 2019 season saw two players earn all-MAC honors. Matthew Trickett earned the highest honor as the Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year. He connected on 29 of his 34 field goal attempts, including nailing four game-winning kicks during the season. Trickett also set a career-high with five field goals in the program's first ever bowl win against Utah State. Joining Trickett was punter Derek Adams, who received third team all-MAC honors. The lefty ranked 38th in the country and third in the MAC with 43.10 yards per punt.
Kick returner Jamal Parker also received all-MAC honors at defensive back, but he was a huge contributor to the teams as well. He set the Kent State kick returning record with 797 return yards in 2019. His 27.5 yard average ranks fifth in program history.
In his first season as special teams coordinator he oversaw Trickett's sensational freshman season as he was named to the All-MAC First Team. Trickett made 14-of-17 field goals including a 49-yarder, the longest by a freshman in school history. Barton improved the kickoff return average of more than five yards per return in his first season. Two different Kent State return men had returns of over 40 yards
Prior to working at Kent State, Barton spent the previous six seasons as an assistant coach for Winona State, where he served as co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. He was also the Warriors’ recruiting coordinator.
In 2012, the first season of his second stint at Winona State, Barton helped the Warriors win 10 games and earn an appearance in the Mineral Water Bowl. The following season, Winona State’s special teams excelled, finishing second in the nation with six blocked kicks. The Warriors finished second in their conference in both punting and punt returns.
Prior to Winona State, Barton worked with the offensive line at the University of Memphis, helping with all aspects of the offensive game plan.
In 2010, Barton was on staff with Sean Lewis at Nebraska Omaha, serving as defensive line coach.
Barton’s first stint with Winona State came in 2007, lasting three seasons coaching the defensive line and special teams. The Warriors captured the NSIC title and earned a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs during his first season.
A 2006 graduate of Bloomsburg University, Barton earned a degree in history. He was an all-conference and all-region selection as a senior at Bloomsburg and a member of three conference championship teams. Barton was also a CoSIDA Academic All-Region selection and a four-time member of the PSAC All-Academic Team.
In 2009, Barton received his Master of Science degree in sports management from Winona State. He and his wife Holly have a daughter, Mia.
