Charlie Strong will join Urban Meyer’s staff with the Jacksonville Jaguars, per report

Charlie Strong will be joining the Jacksonville Jaguars as a member of Urban Meyer’s staff, according to Stadium’s Brett McMurphy. FootballScoop reports that multiple sources have confirmed the news. Strong will most likely serve as assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Jaguars, although he may focus on coaching the defensive line instead.

Strong most recently served as a defensive analyst for the National Championship-winning Alabama Crimson Tide in 2020, working under Nick Saban.

An Urban Meyer disciple, Strong coached under Meyer at Florida from 2005 through 2009, before Strong eventually took the head coaching job at Louisville. Florida was not the first time Strong and Meyer worked together, however, as both were on Notre Dame’s staff from 1996 through 1998. While Meyer stayed with the Irish as wide receivers coach through the 2000 season, Strong took a job for as South Carolina’s defensive coordinator in 1999.

Going back to his time at Florida, Strong was actually on the Gators’ staff prior to Meyer’s arrival in 2005. Strong worked as defensive coordinator/defensive ends coach under Ron Zook in 2003, as well as interim head coach after Zook was fired during the 2004 season. Once Meyer took over in 2005, Strong then served as assistant head coach, linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator with Greg Mattison from 2005 through 2007. When Mattison left for the Baltimore Ravens in 2008, Strong was promoted to sole defensive coordinator, while still coaching the linebackers.

Similarly to Meyer, Strong has no NFL coaching experience, but also similar to Meyer, he has a wealth of experience as a college head coach. Strong served as head coach for the Louisville Cardinals from 2010 through 2013. He was then hired as the head coach for the Texas Longhorns in 2014, until he was fired from that post in November 2016. Strong got another opportunity to lead a program, though, as South Florida hired him as head coach in December 2016. Strong was then fired from USF after the 2019 season. Overall, Strong has a career record of 74-53 as a head coach in the college ranks, going 4-4 in bowl games.

Strong has strong ties (no pun intended) to the Florida Gators. Prior to returning to Gainesville in the 2000s, Strong actually got his coaching start at Florida as a graduate assistant in 1983 under Charley Pell, and then had another stint with the Gators coaching defensive ends from 1991 through 1993, and then serving as assistant head coach/defensive tackles coach under Steve Spurrier in 1994.

From there, Strong took over as defensive line coach for Notre Dame in 1995, where he would eventually cross paths with Meyer. As mentioned, Strong took a job with the South Carolina Gamecocks as defensive coordinator in 1999. He served that role through the 2002 season, before of course heading back to Florida.

In addition to the aforementioned stops, Strong has also coached at Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Southern Illinois. In addition to his roles as head coach or defensive coordinator, Strong has coached wide receivers, linebackers and defensive line.