Here are five things to know about Karl Dunbar, named by Jets head coach Aaron Glenn as the team’s new defensive line coach:

Bayou Through and Through
Karmichael MacKenzle “Karl” Dunbar has deep Louisiana roots. He was born in Opelousas, LA, in 1967, starred in football and basketball up the road at Plaisance High School, and was a three-year starter and was named second-team All-SEC as a senior defensive end at LSU. He began his coaching career at two Louisiana high schools, including his alma mater, then moved to Nicholls State in Thibodaux, LA, and had two short stints as an assistant coach at LSU.

Further, his wife Pamela was a University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduate and their three children all had outstanding college careers in their chosen fields … at Louisiana universities.

There could be more LA connections for Dunbar, but we won’t Geaux there anymore today.

Pitt Stops
Dunbar’s pro playing career began, in a manner of speaking, with Pittsburgh, which made him its eighth-round pick (209th overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft. We say “in a manner of speaking” because he never played with the Steelers, sitting out ’90 with a foot fracture from late in his last college season and being a final cut in the summer of ’91.

He played for New Orleans in 1993 and Arizona in ’94-95 along with one-year stays with Orlando in the WLAF and the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. His NFL career totals are 21 games played and one start. He had no pro sacks but acquired the knowledge to become a coach who has made his name in the pro game as a polisher of young talent, some into potentially big sackers.

Dunbar obviously didn’t blame the Steelers for the quiet start to his pro career as he joined Mike Tomlin’s staff in 2018 and contributed to their top-10 NFL run defenses in ’18, ’22 and ’24 and to the league’s No. 1 sacking team with 392 QB takedowns combined from ’18-25.

Transition to “Safety”
Before fully committing to a coaching career, Dunbar, a criminal justice major at LSU, served as an undercover narcotics officer for the Opelousas Police Department. He was very good at his job — he earned the nickname of :the “Human Battering Ram” for his ability to break down doors and assisted in about 60 drug-related arrests. He also was targeted by for hits by local drug dealers and was involved in gunfire during a drug bust in 1996.

Dunbar was unhurt in the shootout, but Pamela insisted he get himself out of harm’s way, and thus a safer career in coaching football was born, starting with Opelousas HS.