Matt Cannata was named offensive line coach in January 2023. He comes to the Golden Triangle after a successful career that has seen stops at Charlotte, Mary Hardin-Baylor and Texas Lutheran.
As the 2023 season played out, Cannata may have had the toughest draw of the entire staff. After clearing preseason camp with a starting five upfront, the Cardinals proceeded to face multiple injuries on the line. The Cardinals were forced to go with six different starting lineups within the first seven games and didn’t have the same lineup for consecutive games until weeks four and five.
Cannata’s troops continued to battle through the early part of the season and LU had the same starting five for the final four games of the regular season. The Cards’ line also produced two All-Southland Conference selection – Jevale Roberson and Elias Ripley – as they protected for the Southland’s second-leading rusher, Khalan Griffin (who also earned second-team all-conference honors).
Cannata spent the 2022 season in Belton, Texas serving as the offensive line coach at Mary Hardin-Baylor. Prior to his time with the Crusaders, Cannata spent three seasons in Charlotte after spending the 2018 season working as a graduate assistant with offensive line at Austin Peay. Cannata got his coaching start at Texas Lutheran where he served as the Bulldogs offensive line coach, run game coordinator and recruiting coordinator.
Cannata has achieved a high-level of success in his young career working on three conference championship teams while helping guide Charlotte to a berth in the 2019 Bahamas Bowl – the first bowl game in program history. While at Charlotte, Cannata helped orchestrate the 49ers’ first win over a Power Five school when they knocked off Duke (2021).
During his lone season at UMHB, he helped lead The Cru to one of their best seasons in program history posting a 12-2 overall record, a No. 3 national ranking and a spot in the national semifinals.
Cannata’s players have also reaped the benefits of his instruction. He has coached 27 all-conference selections, seven All-Americans (including one FBS All-American) and a former conference offensive lineman of the year. He has also coached five players that have gone on to play professional football (3 – NFL and 2 – USFL), including Cam Clark who was taken in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft by the New York Jets.
