After long-awaited rumors regarding the defensive staff of the Miami Hurricanes, the coaching staff is finally complete. After ending the season giving up a combined 99 points in the last two games, fans called for a change on the defense. Adding more flame to the chatter was longtime safeties coach Ephraim Banda becoming the defensive coordinator at Utah State.
Defensive line coach Todd Stroud will transition to an off the field role as a senior football advisor. Along with Stroud, former cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph will move into a recruiting role. He will work exclusively in that department.
Miami Hurricanes Complete Coaching Staff
The New Hires
One of the biggest splash hires made this offseason was the addition of Travaris Robinson. The former South Carolina defensive coordinator comes to Miami as the defensive backs coach. As a Miami native, the Hurricanes laud Robinson’s ability to recruit with the best in the country. Along with being a great recruiter he also has a long list of former players that are currently in the NFL. Being a former defensive coordinator will also add a wealth of experience to the Hurricanes defensive staff.
A familiar name for Hurricanes’ fans is Jess Simpson. Simpson makes his return as Miami’s defensive line coach. Ironically enough Stroud took over as the Hurricane’s defensive line coach when Simpson departed to coach for the Atlanta Falcons. Before that Simpson held the position in 2018 as his group helped Miami finish with the fourth-ranked defense nationally in total defense. In addition, Miami also led the nation in tackles for loss and helped Gerald Willis earn All-American honors that season.
Taking over as cornerbacks coach is Demarcus Van Dyke. He previously served as the assistant director of recruiting for the last two seasons. Van Dyke also played at the University of Miami and enjoyed a six-year career in the NFL.
Notable Moves
Even with the new additions in the coaching staff, there is a lot of familiarities. Robinson is the only new coach to not have previously been at Miami. One of the most noteworthy moves has been Manny Diaz announcing publicly that he will be calling the plays this upcoming season. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker will still be heavily involved in the game planning but Diaz will take the responsibility of calling the plays. In addition, to helping coordinate the defense, Baker will also be in charge of coaching the inside linebackers.
Transfer Portal Finds
Miami has also been busy in the transfer portal adding two players from Oklahoma and Tennessee respectively. Charleston Rambo comes to the University of Miami after three seasons at Oklahoma. He totaled 76 catches for 1180 yards and nine touchdowns. The other transfer is Deandre Johnson a defensive end that led Tennessee in sacks last season. He also has ten sacks in his career.
