The Arizona Cardinals are set to hire Zac Etheridge as their cornerbacks coach. Etheridge served as Miami's defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach during a one-year stint that ended with the Hurricanes playing for the College Football Playoff national championship.
This will be Etheridge's first NFL coaching job after more than a decade climbing the college ranks. Etheridge was a captain on Auburn's 2010 national championship team.
The #Cardinals are set to hire University of Miami defensive pass game coordinator Zac Etheridge as cornerbacks coach, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 13, 2026
The ex-Auburn star safety helped Miami advance to the national title game and finish as one of the nation’s top ranked defenses. pic.twitter.com/Aqq0gRNSy2
Arizona Cardinals set to hire Zac Etheridge as cornerbacks coach
Etheridge was a key piece of the defensive staff overhaul that helped turn the Hurricanes into a playoff-caliber group. Miami's defense allowed just 13.8 points per game and 277.8 yards per game last year.
Etheridge arrived in Coral Gables after stops at Houston (multiple stints), Auburn (where he was promoted to associate head coach in 2022), and previous roles at Penn State, Georgia Tech, Western Carolina and Louisiana. He is also regarded as one of the nation's elite recruiters.
Hurricanes running backs coach Matt Merritt also accepted a job with the Cardinals earlier this month. He joins HC Mike LaFleur's staff at the same position. Merritt previously completed an NFL coaching fellowship with the 49ers in 2019, which overlapped with LaFleur's time there.
Sources: Miami running backs coach Matt Merritt has accepted a job as the Arizona Cardinals running backs coach. He led a running backs room last year at Miami that included star tailback Mark Fletcher. Merritt's time in college included stops at Ohio State, Tennessee and USF. pic.twitter.com/RY2gn7nI1M
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 5, 2026
Miami HC Mario Cristobal and defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman must replace another important staffer. But, to put a positive spin on the situation, it shows just how far Miami has come over the last couple years. When a program competes for national championships at the FBS level, that usually leads to interest from the NFL. So, this is just par for the course.
Still, as much of a compliment as it is, Miami will need to move fast and keep DB recruits within reach. The staff must find a coach that can keep the connection that was built with the young prospects who were already interested in Miami.