Miami has hired former Texas, Louisville and South Florida coach Charlie Strong as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, the program announced on Friday. Strong is the latest addition to what has become a star-studded coaching staff under first-year head coach Mario Cristobal.
“I have a lot of respect for the program,” Strong said in a statement. “And I also have a lot of respect for Mario [Cristobal]…It’s a really special moment for me. Whenever you go into a program, you always look at ‘Do I have a chance to be successful? Are we going to have the support that we need?’ And that’s what you’re getting right now.
“You look at the history – a foundation has been laid here. It’s the championships over the years, the great players over the years and now…everybody wants to see this program take off and everybody expects for this program to be at a different level.”
Strong has deep ties to the state of Florida in nearly 40 years as a collegiate coach. He served four stints at the University of Florida under both Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. Strong was defensive coordinator on both of Meyer’s national championship squads in Gainesville, and joined Meyer’s coaching staff with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 as assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach.
Miami names former Louisville, Texas & USF coach Charlie Strong as Hurricanes co-defensive coordinator & LB coach
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) March 4, 2022