Report: Jacksonville Jaguars to hire Auburn DL coach Jeremy Garrett

The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to hire Auburn’s defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett, per Matt Zenitz. Garrett only spent one season at Auburn.

Auburn’s defense allowed 357.2 yards per game this season, ranking No. 45 in the country. Under Garrett’s guidance, the Tigers also finished in the Top 50 in both tackles for loss and total sacks.

Before coaching at Auburn, Garrett was Liberty’s defensive line coach. In Garrett’s lone campaign with the Flames, Liberty led the country in tackles for loss (109) and ranked third in sacks (41). Garrett also mentored defensive end Durrell Johnson, who led the nation with 22.5 tackles for loss.

He’s also spent time in the NFL, spending two seasons as the assistant defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns, coaching All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett. Jeremy Garrett began his collegiate coaching career in 2019 at Vanderbilt, where he served as a defensive quality control assistant.

“I’ve known Jeremy since I was an assistant coach and he was a player at Ole Miss,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said when Auburn hired Garrett. “He is a tremendous coach who has been involved in every level of the game from the high school ranks to the National Football League. Jeremy can teach and develop players, is a very good recruiter and is an outstanding individual who we’re excited to have join our staff.”

Another change for the Jacksonville Jaguars

Now, the Jaguars will enjoy Garrett’s talents. He will be replacing former defensive line coach Brentson Buckner. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson fired Buckner after the season ended, along with nine other assistant coaches.

“Since our season’s end, I have made the difficult decision to relieve several members of the coaching staff – on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball – of their duties,” Pederson said in a statement. “I want to thank each of these coaches for their tireless efforts these last two seasons. Ultimately, I felt change was necessary to allow our football team to reach the goals for which we are capable.

“I think sometimes we get caught up too much. Let’s fix it in the meeting, let’s fix it tomorrow. When, in reality, we need to fix it right then. That’s just ownership by everybody involved and making sure that we stay on top of those situations. We don’t let them happen.”

The Jaguars finished the season with a 9-8 record for the second consecutive year in the 2023 campaign. However, the Jaguars did not reach the NFL Playoffs this past season as they did in Pederson’s debut campaign at the helm. With new pieces on the staff, Pederson aims to return to football’s biggest stage in 2024.