Cardinals Steal Miami Coach For DB Position

The Arizona Cardinals hired this position coach late Friday night.

Auburn secondary coach Zac Etheridge is interviewed at the Woltosz Football Performance Center in Auburn, Ala., on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2023. | Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Arizona Cardinals continue to fill out their coaching staff, with their latest addition coming in the secondary.

According to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, the Cardinals are hiring Miami Hurricanes defensive passing game coordinator Zac Etheridge to become their cornerbacks coach.

The #Cardinals are set to hire University of Miami defensive pass game coordinator Zac Etheridge as cornerbacks coach, sources tell @CBSSports.

The ex-Auburn star safety helped Miami advance to the national title game and finish as one of the nation’s top ranked defenses. pic.twitter.com/Aqq0gRNSy2

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 13, 2026

As Zenitz alluded to in his tweet, Etheridge helped the Hurricanes to an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship game this past season while Miami touted one of the best defenses in the country, too.

This will be Etheridge's first NFL coaching experience after he's spent over a decade climbing the collegiate ranks.

He first started in 2012 as a grad assistant at Penn State before holding the same role with Georgia Tech from 2013-14.

He moved to Western Carolina to coach defensive backs and outside linebackers from 2016-17 before moving to Louisiana to become their full-time defensive backs coach for 2018.

Etheridge then spent some time as Houston's running backs coach and special teams coordinator from 2019-20 before serving as Auburn's safeties and assistant head coach for three years.

In 2024 he returned to Houston as their defensive backs coach before heading to Miami last season.

If you remember his playing career, he was a four-year starting safety for Auburn, winning a national championship with the Tigers in 2010. He was also a team captain.

Etheridge arrives to a vastly talented Cardinals secondary that features names such as Will Johnson and Garrett Williams as their top two starters. Rookie Denzel Burke managed to make a splash last season as well.

He'll also have his work cut out for him too, as projected staring corner Starling Thomas V is returning from a season-ending ACL injury suffered in training camp while former second-round pick Max Melton has seen highs and lows during his short tenure with Arizona.

The Cardinals march towards the offseason with a full slate of draft picks and over $40 million in cap space, though Arizona isn't projected to again target the cornerback position heavily in 2026.

Etheridge essentially has his core players set, and while injuries sent Arizona's season sideways last year, he'll be tasked with maximizing some seriously talented players in his room.

The Cardinals' defense holds potential to be one of the better units across the NFL, though Etheridge will have to make an instant impact out of the gates in order for that to happen in the desert.