Justin Hinds enters his 12th season in coaching in 2023 and his second as an assistant defensive line coach for the Bears.
Prior to his arrival in Chicago, Hinds spent 10 seasons coaching at the collegiate level. He most recently served as the defensive coordinator at Western Carolina University for one season in 2021. Prior to that, he was a defensive line coach at Central Michigan University for two seasons (2019-20).
In his first season with the Bears in 2022, Hinds joined defensive line coach Travis Smith and defensive coordinator Alan Williams in developing the youngest on-field roster in the NFL. Hinds was influential in the development and growth of defensive end Dominique Robinson, who played in all 17 games (seven starts) as a rookie in 2022.
Prior to his arrival in Chicago, Hinds most recently served as a defensive coordinator at Western Carolina on first-year head coach Kerwin Bell's staff in 2021. Despite missing the postseason, Hinds' rejuvenated defense helped the Catamounts to a 4-1 record in their final five games to close out the 2021 season.
Hinds mentored two All-MAC selections along the defensive line in 2020, including Troy Hairston II and Mohamed Diallo. Hairston was also dubbed the MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 and led the MAC with 5.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
In 2019, Hinds was part of head coach Jim McElwain's staff that engineered a remarkable turnaround, taking a program that won one game in 2018 to an 8-6 finish, a Mid-American Conference West Division title, and a berth in the New Mexico Bowl. Hinds led a Chippewa defensive front that featured two All-MAC honorees in Sean Adesanya, who was named to the all-conference first team, and Robi Stuart, who earned a spot on the third team. In addition, CMU ranked second in the league in 2019 in total defense.
Before moving to Mount Pleasant, Mich., Hinds was the defensive line coach in 2018 at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. The Leopards finished among the top 25 teams in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in takeaways with 23, and they were second in the Patriot League with 15 interceptions.
Hinds helped cultivate similar success at Valdosta State, where he served as the defensive line coach under current WCU head coach Kerwin Bell. The Blazers program regularly ranked among the top teams in both the Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II in interceptions, turnovers gained, first downs allowed, and third-down defense.
Hinds earned a bachelor of science degree from Rowan University (N.J.) and a master's degree from Wagner (N.Y.) College where he coached the defensive line and outside linebackers in 2012-13. Hinds was a two-time All-New Jersey Athletic Conference defensive lineman during a four-year career at Rowan and then served as a graduate assistant on McElwain's staff at Florida in 2015 after coaching the 2014 season as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State.
