According to a report from Matt Zenitz of On3, Miami will hire Zac Etheridge from Houston as its new defensive backs coach. Etheridge just completed his second stint as the DB coach at Houston after being the safeties coach for three seasons at Auburn.
Before becoming a coach, Etheridge played as a safety at Auburn from 2007 to 2010. Etheridge was on the 2010 Auburn National Championship team. After finishing his playing career, he was hired as a graduate assistant at Penn State in 2012.
Etheridge left Penn State to take a graduate assistant position at Georgia Tech for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. His first full-time coaching job was at Western Carolina, a Football Championship Subdivision program, where he worked with defensive backs and linebackers during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Louisiana hired Etheridge for his first position with a Football Bowl Subdivision program in 2018 coaching defensive backs. Etheridge left Louisiana for his first stint coaching defensive backs at Houston in 2019 and 2020 before he left to return to Auburn.
Miami is targeting Houston’s Zac Etheridge for its defensive backs coach opening, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 28, 2025
Etheridge helped Houston rank third in the Big 12 in pass defense this season. Previously worked at Auburn, where he coached several future NFL draft picks.… pic.twitter.com/AEBVrRtaZa
Miami is hiring Houston's Zac Etheridge as new DB coach
In their first season under Etheridge in 2016, Western Carolina finished 61st in FCS allowing 212.8 passing yards per game. Western Carolina improved significantly in 2017 allowing 165.2 yards per game to move up to 16th nationally.
In his one season at Louisiana in 2018, Etheridge led a pass defense that allowed 216.8 yards per game which was 55th nationally. Houston improved significantly under Etheridge. The Cougars went from 124th and 288.4 yards allowed in 2019 to 19th and 231.0 passing YPG and 62nd in 2020.
Auburn went from 245.8 passing YPG allowed in their first season with Etheridge as safeties coach to 31st and 202.2 in 2023. In his return to Houston in 2024, the Cougars were 28th allowing 188.8 passing YPG. Etheridge has shown the ability to improve pass defenses throughout his coaching career.
Miami should have the most talented secondary Etheridge has coached in his career. Miami has added five of the top-ranked transfer defensive backs and returns Damari Brown and O.J. Frederique who have been productive starters for Miami throughout their collegiate careers.