Robby Discher has been all over the map over the last four seasons, spending time with Toledo, Louisiana, Georgia, and Tulane between 2019-22. When Discher received the chance to make yet another move in his career, the opportunity was too good to pass up, and he made the move up north to join Illinois as the program's new special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.
It all happened very quickly. Just three days after talking with Bret Bielema and his staff, Discher was offered the job, and it did not take long for him to accept the role. He was officially hired on Feb. 14 and has hit the ground running while adjusting to new personnel and a new environment.
Discher last balanced the coaching duties of special teams and tight ends during his tenure at Toledo from 2016-19, and the 2018 campaign saw him named Phil Steele's Special Teams Coordinator of the Year and nominated for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in college football.
Given the demands of both position groups, Discher has learned how to find a balance and give attention to all of his players, a skill he has developed and fine-tuned over time.
"You have to be organized with your time, but you also have to have good help around you. That's the biggest thing. Just being organized with your time and having good people to work with you is really important."
After playing wide receiver at William Jewell College, which is located in western Missouri and competed at the NAIA level during his time there, Discher landed his first job at the high school level coaching quarterbacks and linebackers. Realizing he wanted to coach at the college level, Discher reached out to Willie Fritz, who had just taken over as the head coach at Sam Houston State.
He worked under Fritz as a graduate assistant from 2010-11 before taking over the special teams coordinator role from 2012-13 before reconnecting at Tulane in 2022. Discher says those years were extremely beneficial and influential for him, adding that "90% of what we do" on special teams can be credited to Fritz.
"That experience was awesome," Discher said. "I learned a ton from him. He's about as good of a person and coach as there is. That's kind of where I got all the special teams stuff from."
Discher is excited about the potential of the tight end room, especially given their significance within the Illinois offense. With new players, though, comes new relationships, something Discher has put an emphasis on since arriving in Champaign.
Whether it be his specialists, tight ends, or special-teams players, Discher has allotted time for all of his personnel while continuing to push his guys and key in on his starters.
"You just have to be genuine," Discher said. "Be genuine and develop a real relationship with the players outside of football. Let them know you care, but you also have to prove to them that you know what you're talking about and you can help make them better as well. Genuine relationships with the kids are all about being open, being honest. That's a critical part of it, especially when you come into a new group of people, people who don't necessarily know you or didn't sign up to play for you."
With national championship experience under his belt from his time as special teams quality control coach at Georgia in 2021, Discher is bringing that winning culture to the Orange and Blue as he adjusts back to life in the Midwest.
He says the starting kicker and punter competitions will continue into the summer and fall, though he is happy with where the group is at and would trust putting multiple guys into an in-game high-pressure scenario.
Looking to make an impact in his debut season at Illinois, Discher is ready to continue the program's success from one year ago and take the team to new heights.
"I'm really excited, and it's been fun so far," Discher said. "They're all good kids, and you just get to coach a ton of different aspects of football, so that's exciting."
