Liberty University is making a major investment in its Men’s Lacrosse team by hiring Conor Guiltinan, a former Flames player, as assistant defensive coordinator.
Guiltinan is finishing his time as a student at Liberty, however, he is only beginning his career on the coaching staff. He said his journey into coaching was not something he originallyplanned but he called it a perfect scenario when the opportunity presented itself.
“I love lacrosse, I love everything about sports,” Guiltinan said. “Being an athlete and all of a sudden — no one really prepares you for when your eligibility runs out, what you do as an athlete. So I was going, ‘What do I do?’ I wanted to be around the team, all my buddies and the sport I love, and our defense coordinator, there was rumors that he was leaving and then he talked to me … it was that perfect scenario where I can step into that role and be a part of the team that I know and so I jumped on it and now I’m here.”
The transition from player to defensive coordinator required Guiltinan to develop a new relationship with the players. Managing athletes he considers friends was initially intimidating, but he said the dynamic ultimately comes down to trust between everybody on the team.
“They’re all my close buddies off the lacrosse field, before I even started working here they were my close friends,” Guiltinan said. “But then I step into this role and I’m supposed to just be this coach. They’re supposed to listen to me and what I say even if they don’t like it. That was definitely scary and it’s like, ‘How do you manage that?’ … I just have to trust them and they have to trust me and it’s a decision we both make on our own … ”
He added that in order for players to “buy in” to a decision like this, it takes the entire team to work together.
Even though he is not officially listed as a coach, his former teammates call him coach and respect him as such, reflecting the strong bond they formed from previous years.
“Faith on a sports team — a lot of it you have to see it,” Guiltinan said. “You have to have the players see what you are talking about … they are seeing the coaching staff do late hours, do film work and everything we are teaching them and telling them and prepping for is working.”
Guiltinan also credited his class studies with helping him find success in his new role. He is currently completing a degree in sports management and said that he has been able to directly apply lessons from the classroom onto the field.
Outside of what he has learned in the classroom, Guiltinan believes that he still brings a different perspective to the team than other coaches.
“I’ve been a part of this program, so I know how we work, I know how we function,” Guiltinan said. “I know what works and what doesn’t work and I know these players really well …the trust with the team, their buy-in and past experience combined is making a really unique advantage on our team this year.”
Guiltinan said that a lot of his experience as a student-athlete stems from when he spent time playing for High Point University, praising their coaching staff for getting him to where he is today.
“I use my past experience from High Point to help me out,” Guiltinan said. “I relied on those coaches and I loved them and everything I have is because of them.”
Guiltinan transferred to Liberty in 2023, claiming that God wanted him to get more invested in his faith again.
“When I got to High Point, lacrosse just made me busy and the party atmosphere just kind of caught up to me,” Guiltinan said. “I felt very convicted and it felt like God just grabbed ahold of me, really shook me up and was like, ‘We need to get you out of here.’”
When asked what advice he would give to student-athletes who are struggling with their balance of work and faith, Guiltinan shared a perspective that he has learned over the years.
“There’s a saying, ‘if the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy,’” Guiltinan said. “Always remember more than anything, our identity is in Christ and whatever we do, we do it for the glory of God.”
Guiltinan also spoke about the growth of lacrosse happening across the country. As a California native, he said that when he was in middle school, lacrosse was not something he heard about. He is excited about the rise in popularity with the sport and expects exponential growth in the upcoming 10 years.
Rice is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.