Strong named co-defensive coordinator
The University of Miami on Friday officially announced the hiring of prominent veteran coach Charlie Strong as its new linebackers coach, adding the title co-defensive coordinator.
Strong, 61, in 2021 served as inside linebackers coach of the
NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. He has been a head coach at Louisville (201013), Texas (2014-16) and USF (2017-19). He also was a three-time finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant.
“I have a lot of respect for the program,” Strong said in a UM release. “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.”
UM head coach Cristobal said he was “fired up” to add Strong to his staff.
Kevin Steele was previously named UM defensive coordinator, with Jahmile Addae the new secondary coach, Joe Salave’a the new defensive line coach and University of Texas-San Antonio co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Rod Wright reportedly joining the Canes staff as the new defensive ends coach.
“Coach Strong is an elite football mind and has a tremendous reputation as a coach with championship experience,” Cristobal said. “He also has exceptional acumen as a recruiter. Coach Strong will elevate not only our defense, but our program as a whole, and I can’t wait to see the impact he makes on the culture and DNA of our team.”
Strong spent 18 of his 38 collegiate coaching seasons in Florida. He was a defensive coordinator in the SEC for 11 seasons, including winning national championships at UF in 2006 and 2008.
CRISTOBAL’S MOM DIES
Mario’s mother, Clara Cristobal, was a fighter, a Cuban immigrant who fled the Castro regime and settled down in South Florida in the 1960s where she and her husband would raise their two sons.
Clara Cristobal died, the University of Miami announced in a message passing condolences to their head football coach and his family. While a cause of death was not announced, Clara, 81, had been battling an unspecified illness and was in the hospital in December when Cristobal returned to Miami after accepting the Hurricanes’ head coaching job.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Mario Cristobal’s mother, Clara,” UM director of athletics Dan Radakovich said in a statement. “On behalf of the entire Miami Hurricanes Family our love, thoughts and prayers are with Mario, Jessica and their family during this difficult time.”
Clara’s illness dated back to at least late November, back when Cristobal was still the head coach at the University of Oregon. Cristobal took a flight to South Florida the week before Oregon’s Pac-12 Championship Game against Utah to be with his mother.