ACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Jaguars have finalized new additions to the coaching staff for the 2024 season. New additions and recent promotions include:
Ryan Nielsen Defensive Coordinator Kris Richard Defensive Backs Coach Matt House Inside Linebackers Coach Cory Robinson Defensive Assistant/Cornerbacks Coach Jeremy Garrett Defensive Line Coach Mike Gray Assistant Secondary Coach/Defensive Analyst Mario Jeberaeel Assistant Outside Linebackers Coach Jerry Mack Running Backs Coach Greg Austin Assistant Offensive Line Coach Jamel Mutunga Offensive Quality Control Coach Brief bios of the those new to Jacksonville or recently promoted are outlined below. For full bios of the entire coaching staff, media are encouraged to visit the Jaguars PR Media site at www.nflomg.com (username and password: jaguarsmedia).
Ryan Nielsen begins his first season as the Jaguars defensive coordinator and his eighth season coaching in the NFL. He previously served as defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons (2023) and co-defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints (2022). In his lone season with the Falcons, they finished the regular season tied for the second-most forced fumbles in the NFL (18). Atlanta also doubled their sack total from 21 in 2022 to 42 last season. Before Atlanta, Nielsen spent six seasons coaching defense with the Saints. He received his start in coaching as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, the University of Southern California, in 2002. Nielsen, a Simi Valley, Calif. native started 30 games at defensive tackle at USC from 1998-2001.
Kris Richard will serve as the defensive backs coach for the Jaguars beginning with the 2024 season. Richard has more than 17 years of NFL coaching and playing experience, most recently serving as co-defensive coordinator (alongside Nielsen) and secondary coach for the 2022 New Orleans Saints, who ranked fifth in the NFL in total defense. Originally a third-round pick (85th overall) by Seattle, Richard played in 38 games at cornerback (with one start) for the Seahawks from 2002-04 before playing one season in San Francisco (2005).
Matt House begins his first season in Jacksonville as the inside linebackers coach. House most recently served a two-year stint (2022-23) as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach with LSU, during which the Tigers led the SEC in total tackles (2023) and was sixth in total defense (2022). Prior to his time at LSU, House served as linebackers coach for the Kansas City Chiefs for three seasons (2019-2021). He was part of a Kansas City organization that won Super Bowl LIV during the 2019 season and played for the Super Bowl title the following year. House spent three seasons (2016-18) at the University of Kentucky, where he coached Jaguars OLB Josh Allen to SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Bronko Nagurski Award honors.
Cory Robinson arrives in Jacksonville as defensive assistant/cornerbacks coach after most recently serving as a defensive analyst at the University of Tennessee. Before Tennessee, Robinson spent three seasons (2020-22) with the New Orleans Saints, serving as assistant defensive backs coach. In 2022, the Saints ranked second in the NFL in passing defense, allowing 184.4 passing yards per game. Robinson helped the Saints register a top 10 defense in each of his three years in New Orleans and Marshon Lattimore earned Pro Bowl nods in 2020 and 2021.
Jeremy Garrett joins the Jaguars as defensive line coach, bringing over a decade of coaching experience to the team, including two years with the Cleveland Browns. Garrett most recently served as the defensive line coach at Auburn in 2023, coaching defensive tackle Marcus Harris to first-team Associated Press All-SEC and Keldric Faulk to All-SEC Freshman recognitions. Auburn’s defense ranked 7th in the SEC in sacks in 2023. Before Auburn, Garrett coached one of the most productive defensive fronts in college football in 2022, as Liberty led the country in tackles for loss and ranked third in sacks. He was a four-year letterwinner at Ole Miss (2004-07), where Nielsen served as his defensive line coach.
Mike Gray is in his first season with the Jaguars as assistant secondary coach/defensive analyst. He served in the same role for the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 alongside Nielsen, working primarily with the secondary. Prior to Atlanta, Gray spent three seasons (2020-22) as co-special teams coordinator/linebackers coach at Gardner-Webb University. Gray played collegiately at Mercer University, finishing his career with 180 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions. The Jacksonville, Fla., native (two-time All-County safety at Creekside High School) played both linebacker and safety at Mercer.
Mario Jeberaeel enters his first season as assistant outside linebackers coach for the Jaguars after most recently serving as the special projects – defense coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2023. In 2022, he was the assistant offensive line coach for the Falcons after serving as a diversity coaching intern/offensive line coach in 2021. Collegiately, Jeberaeel has coached at Abilene Christian University, University of Kansas and Nicholls State University. In 2019, he assisted with the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers as part of the Bill Walsh Minority Internship.
Jerry Mack begins his first season in the NFL as the Jaguars running backs coach after amassing 20 years of collegiate coaching experience. The Memphis native most recently served as running backs coach for the University of Tennessee (2021-23). In 2023, the Vols finished the season as the number one rushing offense in the SEC, following a 2022 campaign in which Tennessee had the top offense in the nation. Mack, a three-time HBCU Coach of the Year, has previous coaching stops at Rice, North Carolina Central and South Alabama, and also completed five NFL coaching internships with the Buffalo Bills (2008), New York Jets (2009, 2010), Houston Texans (2018) and Miami Dolphins (2019).
In his second season with the Jaguars, Greg Austin was promoted to assistant offensive line coach after initially serving as an offensive quality control coach for the 2023 campaign. Austin arrived in Jacksonville after 2022 as the offensive line/run game coordinator with Florida International University. He previously worked with the offensive line at Nebraska from 2018-21, served as the offensive line coach at University of Central Florida from 2016-17 and has prior NFL experience as an assistant offensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013-15.
Jamel Mutunga was hired as an offensive quality control coach for the 2024 season. Mutunga spent the 2023 campaign with the Carolina Panthers as an offensive assistant. Prior to his time in Carolina, he served as offensive assistant in 2022 for the Indianapolis Colts through the inaugural Tony Dungy Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Before starting his NFL coaching career, Mutunga spent two seasons (2020-21) as an offensive assistant at Rutgers University, working primarily with the running backs. While with the Scarlet Knights, Mutunga helped Isiah Pacheco earn All Big-Ten Honorable mention in 2021.
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