Tim Salem is in his third season at Georgia Tech. He joined the Tech staff in 2024 as a senior football advisor to the head coach (defense/special teams) before moving to the role of special teams coordinator in 2025.
Georgia Tech's special teams flourished under Salem's tutelage in 2025. Place kicker Aidan Birr was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, while the Yellow Jackets also finished ninth nationally in net punting (43.0 avg.).
Salem, who reunited with head coach Brent Key at Georgia Tech, boasts nearly 40 years of collegiate coaching experience. Prior to his arrival on The Flats, Salem spent nine as tight ends coach at Atlantic Coast Conference rival Pitt (2015-23). In addition to his nine seasons in the ACC, Salem also spent 13 seasons in the Big Ten with stints at Purdue (1991-96 – quarterbacks/offensive coordinator), Ohio State (1997-2000 – quarterbacks/wide receivers) and Illinois (2012-14 – special teams/running backs).
His vast coaching experience also includes working alongside Key for eight seasons at UCF (2004-11) – 2004-08 as offensive coordinator and 2009-11 as special teams coordinator.
Additionally, Salem has coached at Eastern Michigan (2003 – offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), Colorado State (1989-90 – running backs/special teams), Phoenix College (1987-88 – offensive coordinator/quarterbacks). He began his coaching career with two seasons as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Arizona State, where he helped coach wide receivers (1985-86).
He’s helped lead his teams to five conference championships – Pac-10 (Arizona State – 1986), Big Ten (Ohio State – 1998), Conference USA (UCF – 2007 and 2010) and ACC (Pitt – 2021) – nine top-25 finishes and 17 bowl appearances as a coach.
Salem played quarterback collegiately at Minnesota, where he broke the Big Ten record for consecutive pass completions in 1980, and Arizona State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic administration/physical education.
Salem and his wife, Wendy, have two sons (Taylor and Landan), a daughter (Kylan) and seven grandchildren (Julia, Callie, Scarlett, Peyton, Drew, Noa and Audrey).
| THE TIM SALEM FILE | ||
| PERSONAL | ||
| Hometown | Minneapolis, Minn. | |
| Alma Mater | Arizona State, 1985 | |
| Family | Wife: Wendy; Sons: Taylor and Landan; Daughter: Kylan; Grandchildren: Julia, Callie, Scarlett, Peyton and Drew | |
| PLAYING EXPERIENCE | ||
| 1980-82 | Minnesota (QB) | |
| 1983-84 | Arizona State (QB) | |
| COACHING EXPERIENCE | ||
| 1985-86 | Arizona State | Graduate assistant (WRs) |
| 1987-88 | Phoenix College | Offensive coordinator/QBs |
| 1989-90 | Colorado State | Running backs/special teams |
| 1991-93 | Purdue | Quarterbacks |
| 1994-96 | Purdue | Offensive coordinator |
| 1997-99 | Ohio State | Quarterbacks |
| 2000 | Ohio State | Quarterbacks/wide receivers |
| 2003 | Eastern Michigan | Offensive coordinator/QBs |
| 2004 | UCF | Offensive coordinator/QBs |
| 2005 | UCF | Offensive coordinator/TEs |
| 2006 | UCF | Offensive coordinator/WRs |
| 2007-08 | UCF | Offensive coordinator/RBs |
| 2009-11 | UCF | Special teams coordinator/TEs |
| 2012-13 | Illinois | Special teams coordinator |
| 2014 | Illinois | Special teams coordinator |
| 2015-23 | Pitt | Tight ends |
| 2024 | Georgia Tech | Senior advisor to head coach (defense/special teams) |
| 2025- | Georgia Tech | Special teams coordinator |
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Tim Salem is in his third season at Georgia Tech. He joined the Tech staff in 2024 as a senior football advisor to the head coach (defense/special teams) before moving to the role of special teams coordinator in 2025.
Georgia Tech's special teams flourished under Salem's tutelage in 2025. Place kicker Aidan Birr was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, which honors the nation's top kicker, after setting school records for field goals made (25) and kicking points (120). The Yellow Jackets also finished ninth nationally in net punting (43.0 avg.) behind punter Marshall Nichols, who averaged 47.9 yards per punt, the second-highest single-season average in Tech history.
Salem, who reunited with head coach Brent Key at Georgia Tech, boasts nearly 40 years of collegiate coaching experience. Prior to his arrival on The Flats, Salem spent nine as tight ends coach at Atlantic Coast Conference rival Pitt (2015-23). In addition to his nine seasons in the ACC, Salem also spent 13 seasons in the Big Ten with stints at Purdue (1991-96 – quarterbacks/offensive coordinator), Ohio State (1997-2000 – quarterbacks/wide receivers) and Illinois (2012-14 – special teams/running backs).
His vast coaching experience also includes working alongside Key for eight seasons at UCF (2004-11) – 2004-08 as offensive coordinator and 2009-11 as special teams coordinator. In addition to serving as a coordinator during his eight seasons at UCF, Salem also coached nearly every offensive position group for the Knights – quarterbacks (2004), tight ends (2005 and 2009-11), wide receivers (2006) and running backs (2007-08).
Additionally, Salem has coached at Eastern Michigan (2003 – offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), Colorado State (1989-90 – running backs/special teams), Phoenix College (1987-88 – offensive coordinator/quarterbacks). He began his coaching career with two seasons as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Arizona State, where he helped coach wide receivers (1985-86).
He’s helped lead his teams to five conference championships – Pac-10 (Arizona State – 1986), Big Ten (Ohio State – 1998), Conference USA (UCF – 2007 and 2010) and ACC (Pitt – 2021) – nine top-25 finishes and 17 bowl appearances as a coach. Highlights include a Rose Bowl victory and No. 4 final national ranking in 1986 at Arizona State, earning two Sugar Bowl berths in four seasons at Ohio State – including a 24-14 win over Texas A&M that capped an 11-1 season and No. 2 final national ranking in 1998 – and winning Pitt’s first ACC title in 2021.
Salem played quarterback collegiately at Minnesota, where he broke the Big Ten record for consecutive pass completions in 1980, and Arizona State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic administration/physical education.
He comes from a long lineage of coaches, including his father, Joe, who was head coach at South Dakota (1966-74), Northern Arizona (1975-78) and Minnesota (1979-83), his brother, Brad, a long-time college coach who is currently the tight ends coach at Memphis, and his grandfather, Nusier, who is a member of the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame as a high school coach.
Salem and his wife, Wendy, have two sons (Taylor and Landan), a daughter (Kylan) and seven grandchildren (Julia, Callie, Scarlett, Peyton, Drew, Noa and Audrey).