HOMETOWN:
Roxboro, N.C.
EDUCATION:
B.S., East Carolina, 2000 (Chemistry)
COACHING:
East Carolina, 2004-05
Elon, 2006-09
East Carolina, 2010-15
New Orleans Saints, 2016
North Texas State, 2017-20
Valdosta State. 2020-25
Hampton, 2025-present
A veteran coach with more than 20 years experience on the sidelines, Mark Yellock joined the Hampton coaching staff in March of 2025. Yellock spent the last five years as the defensive line coach at Valdosta State. Over that period, the Blazers posted a 42-11 (.792) record advanced to the Division II title game twice (2021 and 2024).
He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from East Carolina in 2000. He played for the Pirates from 1997-2000 for then-head coach Steve Logan. Yellock appeared in 26 games across four seasons, earning 18 starts.
Following graduation, Yellock worked for two years at Metric, Inc., of Greenville, N.C., serving as a lab analyst for one year and as an analytical chemist for one year. He returned to football as a linebackers coach at J.H. Rose High School in 2002. He joined the Pirate staff as a video intern in 2003, before being elevated to a staff assistant a year later.
Yellock was the defensive line coach at Elon from 2006-09. In 2006 under head coach Pete Lembo, he coached first-team All-Southern Conference honorees Andre Campbell and Eric Ludwig, helping lift the Phoenix to the No. 11 ranking in total defense and No. 15 in rushing defense in the FCS.
He returned to his alma mater for a second stint from 2010-15 under head coach Ruffin McNeil, working with the defensive line. He coached a unit that ranked 13th nationally in rushing defense in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, the team finished 13th in sacks per game at 2.9, while six of his linemen earned all-conference honors and another earned a spot on the all-freshman team.
During 2012, the duo of Michael Brooks and Lee Pegues were the key components of the Pirate defensive line. The pair earned All-Conference USA honors at defensive end and, along with Terry Williams and fellow nose tackle Terrell Stanley combined to tally 149 stops and 175 TFLs.
In just his second year in charge of the Pirate defensive line, East Carolina saw an impressive turnaround, vaulting 64 spots on the FBS total defense rankings, holding opponents to 102.5 fewer yards per game than the previous season. Yellock guided Brooks to a team-leading 55-tackle effort during the 2011 campaign.
Just ahead of the 2016 National Football League season, Yellock worked with the New Orleans Saints defensive line and special teams during the preseason.
Yellock was the defensive line coach at North Texas from 2017-20 and helped coach the Mean Green to nine wins in both 2017 and 2018 as North Texas earned two bowl bids. In 2018, Yellock’s defensive line helped anchor a much-improved defense that allowed 10.8 fewer points per game than a year earlier. Defensive end LaDarius Hamilton was named first-team All-Conference USA.
Yellock and his wife Rashida have five children; Hunter, Taylor, Ariel, Chloe, and Sage.
