Report: Charlie Strong Joins Mario Cristobal's Miami Staff as LBs Coach

Strong returns to college football as a defensive assistant for another team in South Florida.

After a year in the NFL, Charlie Strong is back in college.

The former Texas head coach is joining Mario Cristobal’s coaching staff in Miami as the Hurricanes' new linebackers coach, ESPN’s Chris Low reports.

Strong is no stranger to the state of Florida, having spent 2003-2009 as a defensive assistant on the Florida Gators’ staff, mainly defensive coordinator. Strong was also the interim head coach for the Gators for their 2004 Bowl Game before the school hired Urban Meyer. 

He also spent time at Florida as a graduate assistant in 1983, as the outside linebackers coach from 1988–89, and as a defensive assistant from 1991–94.

Strong spent the ten seasons, between 2010–19, as a head coach at the collegiate level, going from Louisville to Texas to USF. He spent 2020 with Alabama before joining the NFL for a year as the Jaguars’ assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach in 2021.

As a head coach, Strong compiled a 74–52 record at his three stops.

However, Strong’s return to college also plays to his strengths as a recruiter, as he has historically recruited well in South Florida. As Louisville coach, Strong most notably recruited quarterback Teddy Bridgewater from the Miami area.

In his first year with Miami, Cristobal has built his staff of coaches from all over the country. He landed Michigan OC Josh Gattis for the same position and former Baylor HC Kevin Steele as the team’s defensive coordinator.