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- Email:
- dbernard@cn.edu
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- Title:
- Safeties
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- Previous College:
- Carson-Newman '21
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- Twitter:
- @CoachBernard__
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- Instagram:
- des_b11
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- Year:
- First Year
Bio
Desmond is in his first season coaching safeties at Carson-Newman. He joined the staff in January 2026.
Bernard joined Scott Abell's staff at Rice in February of 2025 as a graduate assistant and worked with the Owls' corners.
Bernard joined the Owls from Eastern Michigan, where he was a grad assistant working with the Eagles, corners, nickels, and safeties. He began his coaching career as an intern at Wake Forest in 2023 working with both the coaching and recruiting staff.
A former walk-on defensive back at Toledo, where he was a member of a MAC title team in 2017 and two bowl teams, before transferring to Carson-Newman in 2019, where he played both defensive back and wide receiver. He completed his playing career as a grad transfer wide receiver at Ohio Dominican in 2022.
He graduated from Carson-Newman in 2021 with a degree in Social Work as well as his Master's in Education in 2024.