Draft:Joe Pappalardo

Joseph Pappalardo (born c. 1996) is an American college football coach. He is the co-special teams coordinator for the University of Texas at El Paso, a position he has held since 2024. He also coached for UMass Dartmouth, Southern Miss, and Austin Peay.

Early life
Pappalardo grew up in Reading, Massachusetts. He attended and played football for Reading Memorial High School. He was a wide receiver and defensive back.

Coaching career
Pappalardo started his coaching career as an assistant coach with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. With the Corsairs he mainly worked with the defensive backs and special teams as a student assistant. He coached safety Tony Slaughter and helped lead him to Second Team All-MASCAC honors and a team-leading three interceptions.

Following Pappalardo's five-year stint with UMass Dartmouth, he joined the University of Southern Mississippi as a graduate assistant working with the tight ends and special teams in 2020 under Scotty Walden.

Pappalardo was hired by Austin Peay State University in 2021 as a co-special teams coordinator and as a defensive assistant while reuniting with Walden. In his second season with the Governors in 2021 he helped lead kicker Maddux Trujillo and punter Matt Rigney to Second Team All-OVC honors. For the 2022 season he was named as a full-time special teams coordinator and as 'Gov Backs' coach.

Following the hiring of Walden by the University of Texas at El Paso, Pappalardo followed him once again as his co-special teams coordinator.