Strong decides to leave Hurricanes over DC snub

Veteran coach Charlie Strong, who was Miami’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach last season, told ESPN on Thursday that he would not return to Miami in 2023 after being passed over for the defensive coordinator job.

“Coach [Mario] Cristobal and the program made a decision to go in a different direction. It’s time for me to go in a different direction,” Strong said.

It was reported Tuesday that Lance Guidry agreed to a deal to become Miami’s defensive coordinator two days after Kevin Steele told Cristobal he was leaving for the same position at Alabama. Guidry had been at Tulane for three weeks before taking the Miami job. He spent last season as Marshall’s defensive coordinator, and the Thundering Herd finished in the top five in six different FBS defensive categories.

Strong learned of Guidry’s hiring Tuesday and said he was never interviewed for the job. He informed Cristobal the next day that he would not be returning.

A former head coach at Texas, Louisville and South Florida, Strong was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ assistant head coach and linebackers coach under Urban Meyer in 2021 before joining the Hurricanes’ staff.

Strong, 62, has extensive recruiting ties throughout the state of Florida as well as the Southeast. He was the Florida Gators‘ defensive coordinator on their 2006 and 2008 national championship teams and one of their top recruiters. He has coached 15 players selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Miami was 5-7 a year ago in Cristobal’s first season as coach, the first time the Hurricanes finished the regular season with a losing record since 2007. They finished tied for 67th nationally (10th in the ACC) in scoring defense at 26.8 points per game and were 97th nationally in scoring offense (10th in the ACC) at 23.6 points per game. Miami also finished tied for 118th nationally (next to last in the ACC) with 25 lost turnovers.