JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Jaguars have finalized their 2021 coaching staff, Head Coach Urban Meyer announced today.
| Head Coach | Urban Meyer |
| Assistant Head Coach and Inside Linebackers Coach | Charlie Strong |
| Offensive Coordinator | Darrell Bevell |
| Defensive Coordinator | Joe Cullen |
| Special Teams Coordinator | Brian Schneider |
| Passing Game Coordinator | Brian Schottenheimer |
| Defensive Backs Coach – Safeties | Chris Ash |
| Tight Ends Coach | Tyler Bowen |
| Defensive Backs Coach – Nickels | Joe Danna |
| Offensive Quality Control Coach | Quinton Ganther |
| Assistant Linebackers Coach | Tony Gilbert |
| Offensive Assistant Coach | Will Harriger |
| Wide Receivers Coach | Sanjay Lal |
| Assistant Defensive Line Coach | Sterling Lucas |
| Defensive Line Coach | Tosh Lupoi |
| Outside Linebackers Coach | Zachary Orr |
| Running Backs Coach | Bernie Parmalee |
| Special Teams Assistant | Carlos Polk |
| Defensive Quality Control Coach | Patrick Reilly |
| Senior Defensive Assistant | Bob Sutton |
| Secondary – Corners Coach | Tim Walton |
| Offensive Line Coach | George Warhop |
| Assistant Offensive Line Coach | Todd Washington |
| Director of Sports Performance | Chris Doyle |
| Head Strength and Conditioning Coach | Anthony Schlegel |
| Assistant Strength Coach | Brandon Ireland |
| Assistant Strength Coach | Adam Potts |
| Assistant Strength Coach | Cedric Scott |
| Chief of Staff | Fernando Lovo |
| Assistant to the Head Coach | ElizaBeth Mayers |
| Director of Team Administration | Tyler Wolf |
Charlie Strong begins his first season as an NFL coach following a 38-year career in college football that included head coaching roles at Louisville, Texas and South Florida. Strong reunites with Head Coach Urban Meyer, having previously worked together at Florida from 2005-2009 when the Gators won the 2006 and 2008 National Championships. He most recently served as a defensive analyst at Alabama during the 2020 season. In his first season with USF, Strong’s team had a 10-2 record and defeated Texas Tech in the Birmingham Bowl for the program’s second straight bowl victory. The Bulls spent the entire season ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 before finishing No. 21 in the AP and Coaches polls. From 2003-09, Strong’s defensive units at Florida produced 13 All-Americans, seven first-round NFL Draft picks and 18 players that were selected in the third round or higher. His units regularly ranked among the best in the nation statistically and allowed an average of just 17.6 points per game over that span. A native of Batesville, Ark., Strong was a three-year letter winner (1979-81) and three-time all-conference safety at Central Arkansas, which reached the NAIA Playoffs each of his final two seasons.
Darrell Bevell enters his 21st season in the NFL coaching ranks and his first with the Jaguars. He most recently served as interim head coach and offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, where he helped guide the Lions offense which ranked 10th in passing yards per game over the last two seasons. Prior to his time in Detroit, Bevell led the Seahawks offense from 2011-17, guiding the team to five playoff appearances, three NFC West championships, two NFC Conference titles and one Super Bowl championship (XLVII) in that span. Eight different offensive players combined for 17 Pro Bowl selections under Bevell, two players earned First-Team AP All-Pro honors under his guidance, and the team ranked second in the NFL with a point differential of +741. During that seven-season period, the Seahawks accumulated a combined passer rating of 95.7, the fourth-highest in the NFL. Under Bevell’s tutelage, QB Russell Wilson accounted for the most wins (65), highest passer rating (98.8), third-best interception rate (1.98), fourth-most passing touchdowns (161), fifth-highest completion percentage (64.04) and sixth-most passing yards (22,176) that a quarterback has ever totaled in his first six seasons in NFL history.
Joe Cullen has 32 years of coaching experience, including 14 years in the NFL with five different teams (Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Detroit). He spent his last five seasons (2016-20) as the Ravens’ defensive line coach and, during that span, Baltimore led the NFL in total defense (314.1 yards per game allowed), allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game (97.1) and produced the third-most takeaways (126). Under Cullen’s watch, the Ravens produced four Pro Bowlers as either edge rushers or defensive linemen: DE Calais Campbell (2020), OLB Matthew Judon (2019, 2020), DT Brandon Williams (2018) and OLB Terrell Suggs (2017). A Quincy Mass. native, Cullen coached collegiately from 1990-2005 with stints as the defensive coordinator at Indiana and Richmond.
Brian Schneider spent 11 seasons (2010-20) in the same role with the Seahawks where his special teams units ranked second in blocked kicks (25) and fifth in touchdowns/safeties scored (18) in the NFL. In 2019, Seattle’s unit forced three takeaways and blocked three kicks, while P Michael Dickson was named First-Team AP All-Pro in his rookie season. Schneider also coached collegiately at USC (2009) after coaching with the Raiders in 2007-08, where P Shane Lechler earned consecutive Pro Bowl nods. He was a four-year letter-winning linebacker at Colorado State, starting three seasons and earning All-Conference first-team honors as a senior in 1993.
Brian Schottenheimer most recently served as offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks for three season and brings with him 24 years of coaching experience, including 21 seasons in the NFL and 12 as an offensive coordinator. While with Seattle, Schottenheimer helped lead the Seahawks to three consecutive postseason appearances. In 2020, the team set franchise records for points scored in a season (459) and points per game (28.7), while QB Russell Wilson marked his own career milestones in touchdowns (40) and completion percentage (68.8) en route to his seventh Pro Bowl appearance. Seattle’s offense started the 2020 season with five straight victories, ultimately finishing the season 12-5, earning the 2020 NFC West title, the team’s first division championship in four seasons.
Chris Ash begins his first season in the NFL after a 24-year career as a college coach including roles as head coach at Rutgers and defensive coordinator at Texas, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Arkansas. This marks the second time Ash will join forces with Head Coach Urban Meyer, having served on his coaching staff at Ohio State from 2014-2015. Ash helped lead the Ohio State defense when the Buckeyes won the 2014 National Championship. Ash most recently served one season as defensive coordinator at Texas and helped guide the Longhorns to a 7-3 overall record and a victory in the Alamo Bowl. Prior to that, Ash spent three-plus seasons as head coach at Rutgers, including a 2017 season that saw the team match its program record for victories in Big Ten play, its first year in the conference.
Tyler Bowen enters his first season in the NFL coaching ranks after serving in various roles at the collegiate level from 2010-20. The Helena, Ga. native played offensive line at the University of Maryland, where he started his coaching career as a student and graduate assistant. He then held various offensive coaching titles at Towson, Fordham, and most recently, Penn State. He spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as the tight ends coach and offensive recruiting coordinator. In his first season as tight ends coach in 2018, he helped TE Pat Freiermuth rank second among FBS tight ends with eight touchdowns. He was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in 2020.
Joe Danna enters his fifth season with the Jaguars and first as the team’s defensive backs coach – nickels. Since Danna joined the staff in 2017, the Jaguars have allowed the NFL’s sixth-fewest net passing yards per game (216.3) in that span. Danna found success in 2018 as he assisted with the secondary. The Jaguars limited opponents to 194.6 net passing yards per game, the league’s second-lowest mark and fifth-lowest in franchise history. In 2017, the Jaguars had the NFL’s best passing defense, holding opponents to a 68.5 passer rating, the lowest mark in the NFL, and allowing just 169.9 net passing yards per game, the fewest in the NFL. Prior to Jacksonville, Danna served as the defensive backs coach with the New York Jets after securing his first NFL opportunity with the Atlanta Falcons (defensive assistant from 2008-09) prior to spending two seasons (2010-11) with the Miami Dolphins as the team’s assistant defensive backs coach.
Quinton Ganther is in his first season coaching with the Jaguars as an offensive quality control coach. He spent the last seven seasons coaching the running backs at Weber State following a six-year NFL playing career. Weber State accumulated a 45-20 record in Ganther’s final five seasons with the team, earning three straight Big Sky titles and four straight trips to the FCS Playoffs, including the semifinals in 2019. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans and went on to play six years in the NFL, appearing in 36 career games. He rushed for 280 career yards and three TDs, spending time with the Titans, Washington Football Team, Seahawks and Bills. Ganther attended Utah and twice earned All-Mountain West Conference honors with the Utes. As a junior in 2004, he rushed for 654 yards and was part of the Utah team that finished 12-0 and won the Fiesta Bowl under current Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer.
Tony Gilbert is in his second season with the Jaguars as the assistant linebackers coach. Under Gilbert’s guidance in 2020, LB Joe Schobert record 141 tackles, the second-most among AFC players and the fourth-most in the NFL. LB Myles Jack finished the season with a career-high 118 tackles (72 solo), two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. Prior to joining the Jaguars, Gilbert spent two seasons (2018-19) at Central Florida, where he served as the defensive quality control coach. He arrived at Central Florida after serving as a defensive quality control coach specialist and assistant linebacker coach at North Carolina from 2015-17.
Will Harriger joins the Jaguars as an offensive assistant coach after spending the previous two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. While in Atlanta, he transitioned from offensive assistant in 2019 to game management coordinator in 2020 prior to making the switch to running backs coach for Atlanta following for Weeks 6-17. In 2020, Harriger helped RB Todd Gurley rush 195 times for 678 yards and nine TDs. He spent five seasons (2014-18) with the Seahawks, where he began his tenure as an offensive assistant in 2014 prior to being promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2016. In Harriger’s time as the Seahawks assistant quarterbacks coach, QB Russell Wilson threw for 11,650 yards and 90 TDs, the fifth-most TDs in the NFL during that span. Prior to his NFL experience, Harriger spent 10 seasons at the collegiate level with stints at Texas, Texas Tech and Florida.
Sanjay Lal spent the 2020 season as the wide receivers coach with the Seattle Seahawks after previously leading the receivers with Dallas (2018-2019), Indianapolis (2017), Buffalo (2015-16), the N.Y. Jets (2012-14) and Oakland (2007-11). In his one season with the Seahawks, Lal led a receiving corps that tied for third in the league in total touchdowns (40) and featured two 1,000-yard receivers in Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Lockett led the team with a franchise-record 100 receptions for 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns while Metcalf earned Associated Press Second-Team All-Pro after totaling a franchise-record 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl nod. In 2019, Lal worked with the Cowboys receiving corps, helping WR Amari Cooper record 1,189 yards and eight TDs and earn Pro Bowl Honors.
Sterling Lucas joins the Jaguars as an assistant defensive line coach after spending five seasons (2016-20) working with the Baltimore Ravens. In 2020, he worked with the defensive line under current Jaguars Defensive Coordinator Joe Cullen. During his time in Baltimore (2016-20), the Ravens led the NFL in total defense (314.1 yards per game allowed), allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game (97.1) and produced the third-most takeaways (126). Lucas graduated from North Carolina State in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and played linebacker for the Wolfpack from 2008-12, finishing his career with 167 tackles, 4.0 sacks and one INT.
Tosh Lupoi (pronounced LOO-poi) spent the 2020 season as the Falcons defensive line/run game coordinator (DEs) after stops with the Cleveland Browns and at the University of Alabama. Under Lupoi’s guidance in Atlanta, DT Grady Jarrett earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod after posting 52 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. The Falcons allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL in 2020 (104.8) and recorded 29.0 sacks. Lupoi coached the defensive line in Cleveland in 2019, helping DL Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, Chad Thomas, Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson combine to tally 52 quarterback hits, 35 tackles for loss and 26.0 sacks. Prior to his time in Cleveland, Lupoi coached on the collegiate level for 11 years, including five seasons at Alabama (2014-18). He joined the Crimson Tide staff as a defensive analyst in 2014 prior to being promoted to outside linebackers coach in 2015, co-defensive coordinator from 2016-17 and defensive coordinator in 2018. The Crimson Tide qualified for the College Football Playoff in all five seasons when Lupoi was in Tuscaloosa.
Zachary Orr spent the last four seasons (2017-20) coaching the Baltimore Ravens, most recently serving as a coaching analyst. From 2017-20, the Ravens defense permitted the league’s fewest points per game (18.4), the second-fewest yards per game (312.1), posted the third-best defensive third down percentage (35.6 percent) and allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game (99.1). He transitioned to coaching after retiring from his playing career in 2016 due to a congenital neck/spine condition. After entering the NFL as a rookie free agent, he played in 46 games with the Ravens from 2014-16, earning Associated Press Second-Team All-Pro honors in his final season after posting 130 tackles, three INTs and two fumble recoveries. Originally from DeSoto, Texas, Orr graduated from North Texas in 2014. His father, Terry Orr, played eight seasons in the NFL and he has three brothers who all played collegiately, including Chris, who is a linebacker with the Carolina Panthers.
Bernie Parmalee enters his first season as the Jaguars running backs coach. He most recently coached the running backs for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, helping RB Todd Gurley rush 195 times for 678 yards and nine TDs in his first season with the team. In 2019, he started the year as special teams assistant/offensive assistant with the Falcons, and after several coaching transitions during the Bye Week, he was moved to running backs coach. The team totaled 813 rushing yards and seven TDs over the last eight games after he started tutoring the position. He originally joined the Falcons after spending three years with the Oakland Raiders as the running backs coach (2015-17). During his three seasons with the Raiders, the team averaged 4.2 yards per carry and tallied 4,933 rushing yards with 37 TDs with both RB Latavius Murray and FB Marcel Reese earning Pro Bowl honors in 2015. Parmalee played nine seasons in the NFL as a running back with the Miami Dolphins (1992-98) and the New York Jets (1999-2000) and recorded 567 rushes for 2,179 yards and 17 TDs.
Carlos Polk joins the Jaguars as the special teams assistant with nine years of NFL coaching experience and eight years of playing experience. Polk will assist Special Teams Coordinator Brian Schneider. He has coached special teams in the NFL for eight seasons, spending time with the Dallas Cowboys (2019), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014-18) and San Diego Chargers (2010-12). After starring at Nebraska, he was selected in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL draft and spent six seasons with the Chargers and one with the Cowboys. He appeared in 75 career games with six starts in his NFL career, racking up 121 tackles. He finished his career with 227 total tackles, which ranks 17th in program history.
Patrick Reilly joins the Jaguars as a defensive quality control coach after spending the 2018-20 seasons as a defensive analyst at Alabama, where the Crimson Tide made two College Football Playoff appearances and won the 2020 National Championship. Alabama’s defense finished in the top 15 nationally in all three seasons that Reilly was in Tuscaloosa. He was hired by UCLA in 2016 as a defensive quality control coach prior to being promoted to defensive analyst in 2018. Prior to his time in Los Angeles, he spent three seasons with Syracuse (2014-16) as an offensive graduate assistant, working primarily with the quarterbacks and wide receivers. He graduated cum laude from SUNY Cortland in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in sport management and minors in computer applications and economics.
Bob Sutton will serve as a senior defensive assistant with the Jaguars after spending the last two seasons in the same role with the Atlanta Falcons. Prior to his time in Atlanta, Sutton spent the 2013-18 seasons as Kansas City’s defensive coordinator, helping the Chiefs compile a 65-31 record. In Sutton’s tenure with the Chiefs, the team produced the second-most takeaways (165) and allowed the league’s third-fewest points (20.3). The Chiefs earned 17 Pro Bowl berths on defense under Sutton, including S Eric Berry, DE Tamba Hali and CB Marcus Peters, who all earned multiple Pro Bowl nods. Before his time with the Jets, Sutton was the defensive coordinator at the United States Military Academy from 1983-90 before being named head coach in 1991. The 1996 Army squad won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, while Sutton won the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.
Tim Walton enters his third season as the Jaguars secondary – cornerbacks coach, his 11th season in the NFL and his 25th year in coaching. In 2020, Walton helped develop the No. 9 overall pick, CB CJ Henderson, helping Henderson become the fourth player in Jaguars history to record at least one forced fumble and one INT in their first eight career games. Due to injury, six different players started at cornerback for the Jaguars in 2020, including three rookies. Walton has also spent time with the New York Giants (2015-17), St. Louis Rams (2013) and Detroit Lions (2009-12). Prior to his NFL experience, Walton coached for 14 years collegiately, including serving as Miami (Fla’s.) defensive coordinator in 2007. As a defensive back at Ohio State University, Walton lettered four seasons and served as co-captain for the Big Ten champions in 1993. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from OSU in 1994. Walton and his wife, Tracy, have three children, Trei, Timia and Tyler.
George Warhop enters his third season as the Jaguars offensive line coach and his 26th consecutive season coaching an offensive line unit in the NFL. In 2020, Warhop’s unit helped RB James Robinson rush for 1,070 yards and seven TDs, becoming the third rookie in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season. An undrafted product out of Illinois State, Robinson totaled 1,414 scrimmage yards, the most by an undrafted rookie in NFL history. OL Jawaan Taylor started all 16 games and did not miss a snap for the second consecutive year, joining OL Brad Meester as the only offensive players for the Jaguars to start all 16 games in each of their first two seasons. In Warhop’s two seasons with the Jaguars, Jacksonville has had a 1,000-yard rusher in both seasons. A former center at the University of Cincinnati, Warhop got his start in coaching as a student assistant at his alma mater in 1983.
Todd Washington joins the Jaguars as an assistant offensive line coach after spending two seasons as an offensive assistant with the New York Jets. Washington has eight years of NFL playing experience as well as eight years of NFL coaching experience. He was the assistant offensive line coach in Baltimore from 2011-16 and was part of the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII-winning team that finished with the sixth-most rushing touchdowns (17) in the league. Additionally, over his six seasons, three different Ravens offensive linemen were selected to the Pro Bowl, including G Marshal Yanda who was selected each year under Washington. An eight-year NFL veteran, Washington entered the league as a fourth-round selection by Tampa Bay (1998). He appeared in 97 games as a guard/center for the Buccaneers (1998-2002) and Texans (2003-05) and was a member of Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl XXXVII-winning team in his final season with the club.
Chris Doyle was hired as the director of sports performance for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his role, Doyle will assist the Jaguars strength and conditioning and athletic training programs. Doyle served as the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Iowa football program from 1999-2019, helping the Hawkeyes participate in 16 bowl games, including 11 January bowl games. From 1999-2019, the Hawkeyes accumulated a 162-104 record. From 2005-19, Iowa had a total of 55 players selected in the NFL Draft. As a strength and conditioning professional, Doyle has tutored more than 200 student-athletes who have advanced to the professional ranks in the NFL, NHL and NBA. Doyle is a certified strength and conditioning specialist with the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCCa).
Anthony Schlegel was hired as the Jaguars head strength and conditioning coach. Prior to joining the Jaguars, Schlegel worked at Ohio State from 2011-15 as the associate director of football sport performance. During his tenure with the Buckeyes, they won the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship and accumulated a record of 44-10. He played collegiately at Ohio State and was selected in the third round (76th overall) of the 2006 draft by the New York Jets. He earned his MBA from the Fisher College of Business and formed The Difference USA, a portable hand placement/striking machine, which was purchased by more than 80 Division I college football programs as well as 20 NFL teams.
Brandon Ireland joins the Jaguars as assistant strength coach following four seasons as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Atlanta Falcons. A native of Atlanta, Ga., Ireland graduated from Frederick Douglass High School. In 2007, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise & Sport from the University of Florida. In 2011, he earned a Master of Science degree in human movement from A.T. Still University. Ireland is certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and by USA Weightlifting.
Adam Potts enters his first season as an assistant strength coach for the Jaguars following his first year in the NFL as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Atlanta Falcons. Potts came to Atlanta after serving as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the football program at the University of Texas beginning in 2017. Prior to his work with the Longhorns, Potts spent time as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of California, Berkley (2016-17), Iowa State University (2014-15) and Lamar University (2013-14). A U.S.A. Olympic Weightlifting Competitor since 2013, Potts earned a Master of Science in Health Promotion and Wellness Management from Missouri State University in 2013 and is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Cedric Scott begins his tenth season on the Jaguars coaching staff as assistant strength coach. Scott worked briefly in 2012 at the University of North Carolina in the strength and conditioning department before joining the Jaguars. He previously served three years (2009-11) at the University of Southern Mississippi on the strength and conditioning staff. Scott was a standout defensive end for Southern Mississippi, where he received his bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology and his master’s degree in sports administration. He earned All-America honors as a senior defensive end and was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2000. In 2015, Scott was inducted into the University of Southern Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
Fernando Lovo oversees the team’s equipment, football operations, security, team administration and football video departments. In addition, he works directly with Coach Meyer on all off-the-field matters, serving as a liaison between Coach Meyer and all business operations departments. He most recently served in the same role at the University of Texas from 2016-20 following a two-year stint at the University of Houston as the assistant athletic director for football operations. A two-time graduate of the University of Florida, Lovo started his career in Gainesville with the Gators football program, where he served as a football operations assistant for his final two seasons. He also spent three seasons in Columbus, Ohio as Ohio State’s football operations coordinator.
ElizaBeth Mayers and Tyler Wolf will both assist the coaching staff. Wolf joined the Jaguars in 2013, while Mayers joined the Jaguars in 2009.
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