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Jason Taylor elevated as new defensive ends coach in major move by Cristobal to keep Hall of Famer in college game

Gary-Ferman-Head-Shot 2by: Gary Ferman03/02/23CaneSport
Miami coach Jason Taylor
(photo by Neil Gershman)

With Rod Wright leaving the Miami Hurricanes for the Houston Texans, coach Mario Cristobal now has a new defensive ends coach on board.

And he didn’t have to look too far to land him.

Jason Taylor, who served as a defensive analyst for Cristobal this past season, will be promoted to fill Wright’s role. When Wright left February 26, CaneSport first reported that the move was designed to pave the way for Taylor to become DE coach. After a week of contract talks, that has come to fruition.

Taylor, of course, starred in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, and he was a two-sport athlete in football and basketball at Akron (he was a third round pick by the Dolphins in 1997).

Taylor previously coached at Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas High School – as DL coach from 2017-19 and then defensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021.

Certainly Taylor brings a wealth of experience to the Hurricanes, including his 139.5 sacks over 15 years in the pros … and the tricks of the trade he can pass on along with that. He was a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selecdtion and the NFL sacks leader in 2002 plus the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award winner in 2006.

As a position coach Taylor could have a much bigger role not just in day to day coaching of the team’s linemen but also in recruiting and landing top defensive talent at Miami.

Taylor grew up in the Pittsburgh area, and in addition to his time playing for the Dolphins (13 years) he also played for the Washington Redskins (2008) and New York Jets (2010).

As the team’s new DE coach, Taylor has a returning star in defensive end Akheem Mesidor, who is one of the ACC’s top defensive talents. Returning DE Jahfari Harvey will also be back, and the team has one of the nation’s top freshman prospects on board in Rueben Bain as well as a second-year DE who flashed several times last year in Nyjalik Kelly.

So he certainly won’t be lacking for talent at the position.

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