ESPN MediaZone

National Recruiting Director/ESPN Analyst

Tom Luginbill

Former collegiate and Arena football star Tom Luginbill joined Scouts Inc. in 2002. When the NFL-based company was purchased by ESPN Luginbill was promoted to national recruiting director for Scouts Inc. Luginbill provides in-depth recruiting analysis for top collegiate football prospects on ESPN.com Insider. He also provides analysis on ESPNU college football games and College Coaches Spotlight. Luginbill has an extensive background in professional football as well as talent evaluation and has served as a professional evaluator since 2000.

Luginbill set the all-time national junior college record for passing while playing for Palomar Junior College in San Diego in 1992 and ’93. He then was the most highly recruited junior college player in the nation before transferring to Georgia Tech. After an unsuccessful season and the firing of Georgia Tech coach Bill Lewis, Luginbill transferred to Division I-AA Eastern Kentucky. Luginbill was named the ACC newcomer of the year in 1995 and was graduated from Eastern Kentucky with a bachelors degree in sociology.

Luginbill then signed with the Texas Terror of the Arena Football League (AFL) for the 1996 season and played for the Florida Bobcats in 1997. After two seasons playing quarterback in the AFL, he turned to coaching.

In 1997, Luginbill was an assistant coach for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. After one season, he came back to the AFL. He was quarterback coach and offensive coordinator with the New York Dragons for one season, before going to Nashville to coach special teams for the Kats in ‘99. During the off-season Luginbill got a masters in health and physical fitness. For the 2000 season, Luginbill got the job of head coach in the Arena2 Football League, where he coached the Tennessee Valley Vipers.

Luginbill took a chance and signed on as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach of the Los Angeles Xtreme in 2001. The Xtreme went on to win the championship in the XFL’s only season.

Luginbill returned to the AFL as the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Desperados in 2002. He would then coach the Detroit Fury of the Arena2 league for his final two seasons of coaching. He began as the offensive coordinator in ’03, and became head coach and head of player personnel in 2004. As head coach, Luginbill rebuilt the team from the ground up and turned around the team from a 1-13 season to 8-8. He also led the Fury to their first-ever playoff victory.

Beginning in 2002, during the off season in Dallas and Detroit Luginbill started scouting part time and was a pro evaluator for the NFL free agency, NFL Europe, and Arena Football League. After his last season with the Detroit Fury in ’04 he became a full-time scout before joining Scouts Inc.

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