David Elson (born August 26, 1971) is an American football coach.
He is the defensive coordinator at Ball State University, a position he had held since 2017.
Elson served as head football coach at Western Kentucky University (WKU) from 2003 to 2009.
He oversaw the transition of Western Kentucky from a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA) to a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) program, the highest division in college football; in his final season, the Hilltoppers joined the Sun Belt Conference.