CASTINE, Maine — The Maine Maritime Academy football program announced Friday the addition of Aaron Kelton as its new defensive coordinator.
Kelton brings a wealth of knowledge to the gridiron, with more than two decades of experience as a head coach, coordinator and assistant coach at multiple levels along the East Coast.
"We're excited to welcome Aaron Kelton as our defensive coordinator at Maine Maritime," head football coach Nick Sheehan said. "His years of experience as a head coach at every level bring a level of leadership, organization and perspective that will elevate our entire program. More importantly, he provides the kind of stability and consistency that allows our players to develop, trust the process and play fast on defense."
Prior to MMA, Kelton served as head football coach and defensive coordinator at Savannah State University from 2022–25 and was the defensive backs and recruiting coordinator at Howard University from 2020–22.
"I am excited to be here at MMA, and I look forward to assisting Coach Sheehan and the rest of the staff in developing our team and the football program as a whole," Kelton said. "MMA is a unique opportunity that I am honored to be experiencing."
Kelton also served as the interim head coach and director of football operations at Howard during the 2019 season and worked as a co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Morgan State University in 2018.
Kelton's coaching résumé also includes head coaching stints at Shorter University and Williams College, along with coaching stops at Columbia University, Virginia State University, Concord University, Clarion University, MIT and Boston College.
Additionally, Kelton has worked as a minority intern for four NFL franchises — the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins — and has served on numerous forums and coaching panels throughout his career.
A graduate of Springfield College, Kelton earned his Bachelor of Science in psychology in 1991 and was later a master's degree candidate in education at Virginia State University.
