Manny Diaz creating Miami football staff full of coordinators
Head coach Manny Diaz is creating a Miami football staff full of former coordinators. The Hurricanes offense has three coaches that had coordinator experience before they were hired by Diaz for the Miami football staff and the defensive has two coaches with coordinator experience.
Travis Williams who was hired to be the linebackers coach on Monday is the latest coach to join the Miami staff with experience as a coordinator. Williams was the Co-defensive coordinator and LB coach at Auburn since 2019. Recently hired Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin chose not to retain Williams.
Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, offensive line coach Garin Justice, wide receivers coach Rob Likens and recently hired defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson all had prior experience as coordinators before being hired by Diaz and Miami. Defensive coordinator is currently open in the Miami football program.
The departure of former Miami DC and LB coach Blake Baker precipitated the hiring of Williams to essentially replace him. Williams was the Co-DC at Auburn with also departed Tiger coach Kevin Steele. Miami does not have any available positions left on its staff. Robinson seems the most likely if Miami chooses to name a DC.
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Lashlee has been an OC since 2011 when he held his first job overseeing an offense at Samford. Lashlee has since held jobs at Arkansas State, Auburn, Connecticut and SMU before he was hired at Miami prior to the 2020 season. Garin Justice, the Miami OL coach has experience as a head coach and offensive coordiantor.
Justice was the head coach at Division II Concord in West Virginia from 2011-15. In 2019, Justice served as the OC and OL coach at UNLV before joining Miami for the 2020 season. Likens has extensive experience as an OC. Likens was the OC at Southeast Missouri State in 2004-05 and Central Connecticut from 2006-09.
Likens was later an OC at Power Five programs Kansas in 2015-16 in addition to being the quarterback coach and the OC and QB coach at Arizona State in 2018-19. Likens was the Sun Devils passing game coordinator and WR coach in 2017. Robinson was the DC and DB coach at South Carolina from 2016-20.
Next. Miami staff completed adding LB coach Travis Williams. dark
Nearly the entire Miami coaching staff has experience game planning as a coordinator. That should help Diaz on offense and defense as the Miami tries to take the next step in 2021. Williams and Robinson will work closely will Diaz who will resume the defensive play calling for the first time in three years in 2021.