Charlie Strong, the former head coach at Texas, Louisville and USF, is finalizing a deal Saturday morning to become Miami's linebackers coach, sources confirmed to The Athletic. Strong returns to the college ranks after spending 2021 on the Jacksonville Jaguars staff coaching the inside linebackers.
Strong boasts a decade of collegiate head-coaching experience, compiling an overall record of 74-53 while leading the Longhorns, Cardinals and Bulls. He also served on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama as a defensive analyst in 2020 before his brief stint in the NFL.
Strong joins a staff that's led by Mario Cristobal, who signed a 10-year contract with his alma mater in December. The former Oregon coach is assembling a strong staff that includes 2021 Broyles Award winner Josh Gattis and veteran defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.
ESPN was first to report the news.
(Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
What does Strong bring to Miami's staff?
Manny Navarro, Miami beat writer: In short, he's the second former Power 5 head coach to join Miami's program — joining Steele (Baylor).
Strong, who was a defensive back at Central Arkansas, is a three-time Broyles Award finalist and two-time Big East Coach of the Year (2010, 2012) who has been coaching since 1983. He’s worked with receivers, linebackers and defensive linemen and recruited the state of Florida for decades. He can recruit more than linebackers.
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How good is the staff Cristobal has built thus far?
Navarro: It's nothing short of elite. He's still in the process of filling two slots — tight ends and defensive ends — but has two experienced coordinators on each side of the ball with Strong and Steele and Gattis and new quarterback coach Frank Ponce, who left his post as offensive coordinator at Appalachian State to return home to Miami and coach ACC Rookie of the Year Tyler Van Dyke.
New defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae won a national title at Georgia last year and was 247Sports' No. 2 recruiter in the 2022 cycle. And offensive line coach Alex Mirabal will tag-team the offensive line with Cristobal as they did at Oregon.
How will this help recruiting?
Navarro: Miami closed the 2022 cycle strong, finishing 15th in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Getting Strong to lead the linebacker unit will only help the Hurricanes attract more elite players on the defensive side.
Anthony Hill, a 2023 five-star linebacker from Denton, Texas, recently listed Miami among his top schools. There are four other in-state linebackers who are rated four-star recruits with UM offers: Troy Bowles (6-1, 205) of Tampa Jesuit; Jayvant Brown (6-0, 220) of Deerfield Beach; Andrew Harris (6-2, 190) of Lake Brantley and Stanquan Clark (6-2, 205) of Miami Killian. This only bolsters Miami’s standing with those targets.