The Bucs employ a new defensive line coach and are well-versed in Tampa. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Bucs will hire Charlie Strong to become the next defensive line coach after Kacy Rodgers did the same job as the Lions.
Bucs DL Coach Charlie Strong has a history in Tampa
Bucs DL Coach Charlie Strong – Photo: USA Today
If you’ve heard of the name Charlie Strong, that’s because he was coaching at Raymond James Stadium. Strong was USF head coach from 2017 to 2019, compiling a 21-16 coaching record and a 1-1 record in bowl games.
Charlie Strong’s coaching history is far more advanced than that. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at the University of Florida in 1983 and 1984, and in 1985 he began Texas A&M. Carolina.
Strong was in a variety of roles at the time, including a wide receiver coach, an external linebacker coach, defensive end coach, associate head coach, defensive line, defensive back coach and defensive coordinator.
His first head coaching break took place in 2010, when he took over Louisville. In the Four Seasons, Strong had a 37-15 record with the Cardinals and 20-9 meeting records. Louisville went under Strong 3-1 in the bowl game with the highlight of winning the 2013 Sugar Bowl 33-23 in Florida.
Following the 2014 season, Strong left Louisville and was hired by the University of Texas on a five-year contract worth $5 million per season. Things weren’t going as planned with the Longhorns. He never edited a winning season in Texas going 16-21 in three years, losing the look of his only bowl game at the Texas Bowl.
Bucs DL Coach Charlie Strong – Photo: USA Today
After being let go from Texas, he was able to return to the winning track as USF head coach. However, after 4-8 in his third season, he became Alabama’s defensive analyst in the following season in 2020 and was fired by the Bulls.
Strong has coaching experience at the NFL level, where he was the Jaguar defensive line coach in 2021. He was hired by manager Urban Meyer, who was let go before the end of the season due to countless controversies. Strong was not held the following year when Doug Pederson was hired as head coach.
It was back to university rank because of its strength. He was Miami’s co-defense coordinator and linebacker coach in 2022, and in 2023, the Crimson Tide, the final year of Alabama defensive analyst Nick Saban’s coaching career, defeated Georgia, but lost to Michigan. Sometimes when he lost to Michigan, in the Rose Bowl during the college football semi-finals game. Strong did not coach in 2024.
Charlie Strong has a great defensive lineroom with the Bucks
If there’s a place to go when you go back to coaching and go to the defensive line, there’s no better place than the Bucs. Tampa Bay has a great combination up front with veteran nose tackle Vita Vea and star Kariya Kansy heading into his third season.
Commander QB Jayden Daniels and Bucks DT Carrieracancy – Photo: USA Today
For several years, VEA has been a mainstay of the Bucs defensive line, a top-level run stopper, and has evolved into a great pass rusher. The VEA led the Bucs in 6.5 saxophone in 2022, third in the team with 5.5 in 2023, and second in the defense of Tampa Bay in 2024.
It just followed Cancy. Kansy led the Bucs with 7.5 despite missing the first five games of the season. Kansy is an absolute force in the defense of the Bucs, and the only thing that slowed him down in the first two years of his career is an injury at training camp that kept him out of the opening month of his schedule each time.
Tampa Bay also saw a major improvement from Logan Hall, which signs on this season. Hall won his career best with 5.5 sacks. This led to third place in the team along with 28 tackles and six tackles. Hall went all out in Bucs’ wildcard game against the commander and scored seven tackles.
The defensive tackles were the best group for the Bucs About Defense This season. It would be strong to make the most of them again.
