Missouri defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski is a 23-year assistant on Gary Pinkel’s coaching staff (including all 14 of Pinkel’s years at Mizzou), and much of the work he’s done to bolster an impressive Tigers defensive line has gone unnoticed and unrewarded.

That changed on Friday, however, when FootballScoop.com named Kuligowski its Defensive Line Coach of the Year for the 2014 season. Football Scoop is the only organization to hand out coach of the year honors to positions coaches from across the country, allowing little-known assistants like Kuligowski the opportunity to be recognized for their work.

The Tigers set a school record with 41 sacks in 2013, and Kuligowski helped defensive ends Michael Sam and Kony Ealy both reach the NFL in the following draft. His defensive line actually topped those numbers this season, recording 42 sacks with a new tandem of dominant defensive ends in Shane Ray and Markus Golden.

Ray followed in Sam’s footsteps as the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year, and both Ray and Golden are expected to follow Sam and Ealy to the NFL in this spring’s draft.

Mizzou ranked No. 6 in the nation with its 42 sacks, and it ranked No. 11 in the nation with 96 tackles for loss in 2014. It is one of just four schools in the FBS to record at least 40 sacks in back to back seasons.

The Tigers closed the year with the SEC’s sixth-best run defense, but they allowed just 115 yards per game on the ground in nine conference games this season. Their defensive line was considered to be the best in the conference, thanks in large part to Kuligowski’s leadership and player development.

Kuligowski’s name has been thrown around in regards to the vacant defensive coordinator position on Pinkel’s staff after former D.C. Dave Steckel to the head coaching job at Missouri State. Other media outlets have mentioned Memphis defensive coordinator Barry Odom as a possible candidate for the job.