Miami is reportedly pursuing Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci per On3 via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Santucci just completed his first season as the defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech after previously holding the position at Duke for the 2023 season.
Santucci began his career as a graduate assistant working with linebackers at Football Bowl Subdivision Stony Brook. After four seasons at Stony Brook, Santucci left to become a graduate assistant working with defensive linemen at Wake Forest. Santucci remained at Wake Forest for two seasons.
Texas State hired Santucci for his first full-time assistant coaching job with the linebackers in 2016. After one season at Texas State, Santucci left to become a defensive analyst at Notre Dame under coordinator Mike Elko. Elko took Santucci with him to Texas A&M continuing in the defensive analyst role.
Santucci returned to an on-field role at Wake Forest in 2019 as the linebackers coach. Elko brought Santucci back as the LB coach at Texas A&M in 2020 through 2021 at Texas A&M as the LB coach. Santucci was elevated to LBs coach and co-defensive coordinator in 2022.
Per a report from On3. com, Miami has reached out to Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci about potentially replacing fired Lance Guidry. But Texas A&M reportedly also in the mix for him.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) December 31, 2024
Under Santucci, as the defensive coordinator in 2023, Duke was 16th nationally allowing 19.0 points per game and 44th allowing 344.3 total yards per game. Santucci led a Georgia Tech defense that is 73rd nationally allowing 25.6 PPG and 42nd permitting 342.8 total yards per game in 2024.
Santucci was the defensive coordinator at Duke under Elko who has a background coaching defense and under former offensive line coach Brent Key at Georgia Tech. Santucci's defense performed much better running a defense under a defensive-minded head coach than one with an offensive background.
Expect more names to emerge as candidates to be the next Miami offensive coordinator throughout Tuesday, in the next few days and potentially into next week. With Guidry's firing occurring less than three days after Miami's Pop-Tart Bowl loss to Iowa State, Mario Cristobal likely already has a short list of potential defensive coordinators.