Adam Gonzaga joined the Forester coaching staff in the spring of 2024 and serves as the team's associate head coach and defenseive coordinator.
Gonzaga, who has coached football at the collegiate level for 30 years, comes to Lake Forest after spending the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana. The Panthers led the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in scoring, rushing, and passing defense in 2022 and seven players on that side of the ball were named All-HCAC, including five first team selections.
Gonzaga has been a member of the coaching staff at several institutions since entering the profession as an intern recruiting assistant under Bill Walsh at Stanford University in 1992. He spent time at all three NCAA levels, including 10 at Division I. Along the way he advanced to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs at the University of Connecticut, captured a conference title at Greenville University, reached three straight NCAA Tournaments and coached four eventual NFL and CFL players at Northwood University, helped lead Bowling Green State University to a GMAC Bowl appearance, and coached three All-Americans at Saginaw Valley State University.
A graduate of Azusa Pacific University, Gonzaga was a defensive back for two seasons for the Cougars after one at University of Pacific and one at San Joaquin Delta College.
