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Nebraska Safeties Coach Leaves Staff After Short Stint in Lincoln

Miles Taylor spent roughly one month as part of the Huskers staff under defensive coordinator Rob Aurich before announcing plans to head back to the NFL.
Trevor Tarr|
Miles Taylor coaches during a South Dakota football practice.
Miles Taylor coaches during a South Dakota football practice. | South Dakota athletics

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Wednesday was an oddly busy news day, considering it was at the beginning of February; however, the Nebraska football program now finds itself without one of its assistant coaches.

Safeties coach Miles Taylor, who was officially named to the position back on Jan. 16, has made plans to follow his former boss back to the NFL. As a member of the staff for a total of 19 days, this is one of the more bizarre situations in the hiring process surrounding the football program in recent memory. But don't get it twisted, it is one of many.

With that in mind, here's the latest on where Taylor will be coaching next fall, and what the Huskers will likely do with the position group moving forward.

Taylor came to Lincoln from his most recent stop with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he worked under Jesse Minter. After the 2025 season came to a close, the Baltimore Ravens decided to move on from long-time head coach John Harbaugh and chose Minter to be his replacement. Going from defensive coordinator with the Chargers to NFL head coach with the Ravens, Minter needed to make quick work of his staff. And though he's already figured out quite a lot of it, Taylor is the most recent of them all.

Before making the jump to the NFL, Taylor's most recent collegiate stop was at South Dakota, where he spent time working with Rob Aurich from 2020 to 2021. During his time in Vermillion, Nebraska's new defensive coordinator spent four seasons with the Coyotes as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. Overlapping a few years, Taylor spent the 2020-2024 seasons as defensive backs coach on the same staff.

When Taylor was left seemingly jobless after Minter took a new role, Aurich appeared to have reached out to see if he was interested in joining his new-look staff in Lincoln, and Taylor agreed. Though the Huskers already had a defensive backs coach on staff, Taylor was named safeties coach during his short time. He was set to help continue the success of a unit that helped rank second nationally in pass defense in 2025; however, that will obviously not be happening any longer.

What unfolded over the last month is a great example of how fluid the sport of football has become. For Nebraska, they appear to have gotten one of their assistant coaches poached by the NFL, but while it may seem like the latest example of unfortunate news, Taylor's hire was arguably more a luxury than a necessity.

Of course, Addison Williams' unit performed exceedingly well in 2025, and he did it all by himself. There was no safety coach on staff last fall, and it very likely could remain the case this upcoming season once again.

For the Huskers, it's not necessarily concerning, as Nebraska managed more than just fine a season ago. However, it would've been an interesting development to see how the secondary adapted to a new defensive scheme with essentially double the one-on-one development time these players could have had.

After roster updates were made to reflect the players who will be with the team in 2026, Nebraska has a group of ten players listed at the safety position group. Most notable are returning starters Rex Guthrie and Justyn Rhett, along with new transfer portal addition Dwayne McDougle, who followed Aurich from San Diego State for his final year of college football.

The remainder of the room includes a list of young and promising players who could look to factor into the rotation in 2026 as well. Players like Caleb Benning and Jamir Conn have shown flash in their Husker careers, and it wouldn't be surprising if either of those two saw the field with an expanded workload next fall.

Underclassmen like Braylen Prude, Mario Buford, Thomas D'Onofrio, and Tanner Terch will also have the chance to grow. It appeared as if that could take place faster with more direct coaching in 2026, but unless Miles' position is replaced, that will no longer be the case for that group.

For Williams, his work will once again be cut out for him, though he proved capable of it in 2025. Coming off a season in which three members of his secondary were awarded All-conference recognition, it'll be hard to beat. But if there's one coach on staff who has proved he's able to punch above his weight class, it is arguably Williams.

The Huskers' secondary returns several key members who made the group succeed last season and appear to have replaced their departures with several experienced members via the transfer portal as well. It seems as if the group will take its momentum into spring with an older, battle-hardened unit once again. However, to take the next step, the secondary will need to prove to be more productive, causing turnovers in 2026.

Without Taylor, it may be harder, but it's not like it hasn't happened before. It's a loss that comes as a surprise, but not likely one that derails the season. Whether Nebraska opts to find a replacement or to roll with what they have remains unknown. For now, they're celebrating adding a blue-chip recruit to their 2026 class and then turning their attention back to preparation for spring ball.

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Trevor Tarr
TREVOR TARR

Trevor Tarr is the founder of Skers Scoop, a Nebraska football media outlet delivering original coverage through writing, graphics, and video content. He began his career in collegiate athletics at the University of South Dakota, producing media for the football team and assisting with athletic fundraising. A USD graduate with a background in journalism and sports marketing, Trevor focuses on creative, fan-driven storytelling in college football.

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