Trinity International University

Joe Hagins joined the TIU football staff as Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers coach in July of 2021. Originally from Folkston, Georgia, Hagins spent the past several years coaching in Canada. Before coming to Trinity International University, he was the defensive backs coach at McGill University in Montreal.

In his 20+ years of coaching he has held the roles of Head Coach, Assistant Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator and Special Teams Coordinator, including coaching both offensive and defensive positions. His coaching experience covers time spent at every level: high school, university and professionally in the Canadian Football League. Throughout his career, Coach Hagins has built a broad recruiting network that extends south to his home state of Georgia and up through the Midwest, Northeast and across Canada.

Coach Hagins was a highly recruited high school football prospect and received multiple offers from schools in all power 5 conferences. Hagins found his football home at Purdue University where he attended and played from 199-1996 alongside TIU Head Coach Willie Tillman. During his time at Purdue he was a three-year starter and played various positions including linebacker, safety, running back and returner on special teams. This versatility earned him the Purdue Freshman Athlete of the Year Award in 1993 along with several other accolades.

After Purdue, he played 3 seasons as a starter with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL and helped his team win the Grey Cup Championship in 1999. Coach Hagins looks forward to sharing his talents and experience with the TIU Trojans.