Report: Missouri expected to hire Miami LB coach Derek Nicholson for same position

The Missouri Tigers are hiring Miami Hurricanes linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator Derek Nicholson as their next linebackers coach, per Pete Thamel.

Nicholson spent the last two seasons with the Hurricanes. Prior to that, he held the same role at Louisville, where he spent three seasons. He also has spent time at Southern Miss, Alcorn State, and Akron. He has also been a defensive line coach earlier in his coaching career.

A North Carolina native, Nicholson played at Florida State, where he was a linebacker, and spent two seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks. He had been an undrafted free agent. Then, in 2013, he joined the Akron coaching staff as a linebackers coach.

The Hurricanes are coming off a season where they went 10-3 and played in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. They also beat both Florida and Florida State. For his part, Nicholson coached Francisco Mauigoa to a Second Team All-ACC selection.

However, the 2024 season was a difficult one overall for the Miami defense. That culminated in head coach Mario Cristobal letting go of defensive coordinator Lance Guidry. At this point, it’s unclear whether or not that decision had any impact on Nicholson’s choice to leave the program.

Nicholson will be replacing D.J. Smith, who was the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator for Missouri last season. Smith held that role since 2019, having since added the titles of recruiting coordinator and co-defensive coordinator. However, he decided to leave the program for App State, where he played and had been an assistant coach, to be the next defensive coordinator for the Mountaineers.

Missouri had an excellent defense in 2024. The Tigers finished the season 17th nationally in total defense, giving up 317.5 yards per game. They were also 20th nationally in scoring defense, giving up just 20.4 points per game.

For their part, the Tigers are coming off a second-straight season winning double-digit games. That stretch has seen Missouri go 21-5 and now it appears that the Tigers are ready to be knocking on the door of a College Football Playoff berth. Certainly, there’s now an expectation in 2025 that as head coach Eli Drinkwitz leads the Tigers into his sixth season with the Missouri program, and will compete at the top of the SEC.