Recruiting Areas: New York City / New Jersey
Maurice Hart enters his third season as Cortland’s defensive backs coach in 2016. In 2015, the Red Dagon defense recovered 17 fumbles and intercepted 13 passes to help the team rank 16th nationally in defensive turnovers. Under Hart’s guidance the Red Dragons had two All-Empire 8 conference players in 2015 in Carson Lassiter and Mark DelPrete. Lassiter was also an All-East selection that season. In 2014, Cortland ranked 35th nationally in Division III in passing efficiency defense and 11th nationally in third-down conversion percentage defense.
Hart came to Cortland from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he coached the Engineers’ defensive backs in 2013. Under his tutelage, RPI led the Liberty league in interceptions and rank 62nd nationally in passing efficiency defense. The previous season, Hart coached the cornerbacks at Emporia State University in Kansas. The program led the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association and ranked fifth nationally in interceptions and finished the 2012 season ranked 23rd in the national polls with a school-record 10 wins and a Kanza Bowl Championship. Hart also coach the defensive backs at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa in 2011.
Hart earned a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University in 2010 while serving as a coaching intern. He played two seasons at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California, where he ranked among the top five safeties in the national Junior College ranks. He earned two All-Western State Conference awards and his team won two bowl games. The Durham, North Carolina native also received a scholarship to play on the Division I level as a defensive back at Western Michigan.
