Miami football new defensive staff matches with two Alabama former NFL HCs
The retooled defensive coaching staff for the Miami football program will match up with two former NFL head coaches hired by Alabama and Nick Saban during the offseason. Former Houston Texans and Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien is the new Crimson Tide offensive coordinator.
Former Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coach Doug Marrone is the new Alabama offensive line coach. No one in college football can match the experience that O’Brien and Marrone bring to the Crimson Tide staff. Alabama also hired new cornerbacks, running backs, tight ends coaches/special teams coordinator.
The Miami football program brought back Jess Simpson for his second stint as the defensive line coach and added cornerbacks coach Demarcus VanDyke, defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson and strikers coach Ismael Aristide. Head coach Manny Diaz is also resuming the defensive play-calling for the first time since 2018.
O’Brien led Penn State to a 15-9 record in 2012 and 2013. The Nittany Lions had to rebuild under O’Brien after a deep probation following the end of the Joe Paterno era and the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Penn State finished 63rd nationally averaging 29.1 points per game in his first season in 2012.
The Nittany Lions fell to 28.7 PPG and 69th nationally in 2013. Penn State was 53nd averaging 417.5
in 2012 and improved to 43rd and 433.2
in 2013. The Texans hired O’Brien following the 2013 season as their head coach and to oversee personnel.
Marone was 25-25 as the head coach at Syracuse from 2009-2012 before being hired as the head coach in Buffalo for the 2013 season. Miami did not play Syracuse during Marrone’s tenure with the Orange. Syracuse did not join the ACC until 2013, the year after he left. Marrone will have far more talent to work with at Alabama.
Marrone inherits an offensive line that returns its right side but loses the left side and center. After playing left tackle in 2020, After playing right tackle in 2020, Evan Neal is the projected starting left tackle and a probably future first-round NFL Draft pick. Emil Ekiyor returns as the starting right guard for Alabama in 2021.
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The new Miami defensive coaching staff will be challenged preparing for their first game together against the experience that Marrone and O’Brien bring to Alabama. Competing against the Alabama coaching staff no matter what the outcome will benefit Miami to gauge where they need to be for the remainder of the 2021 season.