John Haneline was named defensive line coach at Western Illinois in the fall of 2018, and a year later, his oversight broadened to include the defensive run game.
In his first year with the Leathernecks, he coached Khalen Saunders to First Team All-MVFC and All-American (Associated Press and STATS FCS) honors. The Kansas City Chiefs selected Saunders 84th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, and he became Western's first NFL draftee in 10 seasons.
Haneline joined the Western Illinois staff after two seasons at Mississippi State University, where he was charged with defensive quality control. In his role, he assisted in coaching the defensive line. In his first stint with the Bulldogs, he was a defensive graduate assistant working with the linebackers and was named interim linebackers coach ahead of the Orange Bowl (2015).Â
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Haneline's coaching career also featured stops at Colorado School of Mines, the University of Toledo, and Ohio Northern University.
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As a player, he suited up for the Bowling Green State University football team from 2004-09 and was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter. The Falcons were crowned the GMAC Bowl champions in 2004 and earned the Mid-American East co-champion title in 2007.
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He received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in general business. Â
