During his two seasons as defensive coordinator, New Hampshire went 21-5 and advanced to the FCS quarterfinals in 2005, when the Wildcats led the NCAA with 45 takeaways.
He had stints in assistant roles at Akron, coaching linebackers, and at Boston College as the special teams coordinator.
UCF ranked third nationally in turnovers forced, including 23 fumbles, in which the defensive line played a key factor.
Two of three starting defensive linemen received all-conference honors, including defensive end Jamiyus Pittman, who made the Outland Trophy watch list and was named All-AAC for the second consecutive season, and sophomore Trysten Hill was named All-AAC honors as well.
In addition to the defensive line's pressure, the unit contributed to the Huskers' ninth-highest pass breakup total in school history.
Dawson's outside linebackers helped Nebraska rank in the top of the Big Ten Conference in overall defense in 2020, as well as reduce opponents' rushing yards per attempt.
Tannor concluded the season with a career-high 5.5 tackles for loss, while Nelson led Nebraska in TFLs (10.5) and sacks (5), placing among the Big Ten leaders in both.
Dawson would coach several NFL/pro players which included: Freedom Akinmoladun, Darrion Daniels, Casey Rogers, Chris Kolarevic, Ben Stille, Eteva Mauga-Clements, Pheldarius Payne, Damian Jackson, Luke Gifford, JoJo Domann Carlos Davis, Khalil Davis, Jordon Riley, Ochaun Mathis.