Canes hire Rod Wright as defensive ends coach, Jason Taylor to off-field role

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 16: A detailed photo of a Miami Hurricanes helmet during their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium on October 16, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 45-42. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Miami football head coach Mario Cristobal has hired two more assistants with the additions of defensive ends coach Rod Wright, as well as Jason Taylor, who will serve in an off-field role. These hires were first reported by FootballScoop and 247Sports, respectively.

Wright formerly served as UTSA’s co-defensive coordinator, a position he had held since January 2021. The former All-America defensive lineman at Texas also worked as the Roadrunners’ run game coordinator and was previously a defensive line coach, dating back to the 2019 season.

UTSA finished last season ranked 14th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (114.7) and fourth in the country with 14 fumble recoveries under Wright’s tutelage.

Taylor is joining Cristobal’s staff after serving in multiple roles on perennial high school powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas’s defensive coaching staff. The NFL Hall of Famer began his tenure with the Raiders in 2017 as their defensive line coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator in March 2020.

This will be Taylor’s first position in the collegiate ranks.