J.P. Gunter has been on staff at The Citadel since 2010 and currently serves as A-Backs coach and special teams coordinator. In his seven seasons at The Citadel, Gunter has seen the Bulldogs ascend to new heights including a pair of SoCon Championships in 2015 and 2016 and back-to-back FCS Playoff appearances.
In 2017, the Bulldog offense averaged 294.6 rushing per game to finish second nationally in the category, marking the fourth consecutive season The Citadel has been first or second at the FCS level in rushing offense. Gunter’s A-Backs keyed the Bulldog’s success this season behind a young offensive line. Senior Cam Jackson finished out a sterling career with 2,454 rushing yards, the ninth-most in Citadel history. Jackson had 506 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with 254 receiving yards and a touchdown. Backfield mate Grant Drakeford led The Citadel with 602 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Bulldogs special teams also enjoyed their share of success in ’17. Curt Nixon was among SoCon leaders with an 8.2-yard average per return and Jackson burst onto the scene late in the year to become a factor in kickoff returns, averaging 23.5 yards per return. Freshman kicker Jacob Godek handled the placekicking duties and drilled a key 45-yarder against ETSU to help the Dogs seal a 31-25 win in Sept. He was also 29-of-30 on PATs.
Gunter helped lead The Citadel to a number of achievements in 2016. The Bulldogs earned a program-record 10-game winning streak, a single-season school-record six road victories, only the seventh 8-0 conference record in 84 years of SoCon football, a second consecutive conference championship, a No. 6 national seed in the FCS Playoffs and the first home playoff game in 24 years. The Bulldogs also tied a single-season school record with five 400-yard rushing performances as a team.
The Citadel ranked first in FCS in rushing yards per game and fewest tackles for loss allowed per game. The Bulldogs’ average of 348.2 yards per game on the ground was the second-highest single-season average in program history and marked the first time since 1994 The Citadel topped the nation in rushing and the third straight year ranking in the top two. Additionally, the Bulldogs led the SoCon in time of possession, yards per completion, third-down conversions and yards per rush.
In his first season as the Bulldogs’ special teams coordinator, Gunter oversaw one of the most productive units in the Southern Conference. The Citadel ranked first in the SoCon in punt returns, led by return specialist DeAndre Schoultz’s average of 11.9 yards per return that was first in the conference and 10th in FCS. The Bulldogs also had the conference’s fourth-best net punting average and ranked fifth in the SoCon in blocked kicks and punt return defense. Punter Will Vanvick had the conference’s second-best average with a mark of 42.3 yards per punt, while kickoff returner Quinlan Washington ranked third in return average. Kicker Cody Clark, who gave the Bulldogs a lead or tied the game in the fourth quarter or overtime four times in 2016, was fourth in the SoCon in field goals and ninth in points scored. Schoultz and Clark earned All-SoCon honors while kickoff specialist Jacob Godek was voted to the All-Southern Conference Freshman Team.
The A-Backs continued their consistent output under Gunter’s leadership. Cam Jackson, who enters the 2017 season holding The Citadel’s career record with an average of 8.02 yards per rush, and Rod Johnson led the group with five rushing touchdowns each. Combined, the A-Backs were responsible for 1,961 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground.
In 2015, The Citadel earned a co-Southern Conference championship behind a then-school-record-tying six SoCon wins and finished 9-4 overall after advancing to the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs for only the second time in school history. The Bulldogs, who finished the season with a conference-best +117 scoring margin that included a +100 margin in SoCon play, earned the program’s first road playoff win with a 41-38 victory at Coastal Carolina in the first round of the playoffs.
The Bulldogs broke a school record with 14 individual 100-yard rushing performances in 2015, including a single-game program record of four 100-yard rushers in the first-round playoff win. The Citadel recorded the two highest single-game rushing totals with outputs of 535 yards against Davidson and 524 yards at Coastal Carolina in the first round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The total at Coastal Carolina, which included a school-record four 100-yard rushers, was the most in an NCAA Playoff game since 2012.
As a team, the Bulldogs broke school records for all-purpose yards, total offense yards and rushing yards. The Citadel led the Southern Conference and ranked second in FCS with an average of 346.9 rushing yards per game, an average of 17.21 yards per completion and allowing 0.62 sacks per game. The Bulldogs also led the SoCon with 5.70 yards per rush and 41 rushing touchdowns.
Senior Vinny Miller wrapped up his career ranking fourth on the Bulldogs’ all-time career average yards per carry list. Sophomore Cam Jackson reached 100 yards rushing in four of the final six games of the 2015 season and finished the season eighth in the SoCon with 751 rushing yards.
As the recruiting coordinator, Gunter was a key part of the 2015 and 2016 signing classes that included the addition of 17 signees each season. The group included signees from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Florida, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.
From 2011-14, Gunter was the Bulldogs’ wide receivers coach as the group became an integral part of the passing attack. In 2014, his receivers grabbed 41 receptions for 612 yards and five touchdowns. In 2012, he aided in the development of converted quarterback Matt Thompson, who led the team with 13 receptions for 284 yards, an average of 21.8 per catch.
Gunter joined the staff as a graduate assistant working with the special teams in 2010. He spent the previous year as the offensive line coach, running game coordinator and special teams coordinator at Pikeville (Kentucky) College, where he actively recruited student-athletes from eight states.
Gunter spent the 2007 season as a graduate assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne, his alma mater, coaching the offensive line and tight ends. The following year, he was the outside linebackers coach, camp coordinator and academic liaison.
A four-year letterman at Lenoir-Rhyne from 2003-06, Gunter started at center for three years, served as a team captain and was a South Atlantic Conference all-conference selection.
A native of Irmo, South Carolina, Gunter earned his bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in business administration from Lenoir-Rhyne in 2007. He completed his graduate certification in sports administration from The Citadel in 2011.
Gunter and his wife, Megan, have one son, Turner.
