The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have added a notable former college head coach to their staff.
Charlie Strong has agreed to a deal to become the new defensive line coach of the Bucs, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Wednesday. The job is Strong’s first in the NFL since he was an assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021.
Strong spent the last two seasons as a defensive analyst at Alabama. The 64-year-old is best known for his stints as a head coach with three different college programs.
Strong made a name for himself as the head coach at Louisville from 2010-2013. He went 37-15 overall with the Cardinals, including a combined record of 23-3 in his final two seasons. Strong won two Big East championships at Louisville and was named Big East Coach of the Year twice.
The success Strong enjoyed at Louisville led to him being named the head coach at Texas in 2014, when he took over for the legendary Mack Brown. Strong went just 16-21 across three seasons with the Longhorns and did not win a bowl game.
Despite the struggles in Austin, Strong immediately landed another head coach job when USF hired him in 2017. He enjoyed some immediate success at USF and led the team to a 10-2 record in his first season, but it was all downhill for the Bulls after that.
Strong will bring an experienced voice with him to Tampa, as he has coached in some capacity for more than four decades.
