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BREAKING: Craig Naivar hired by Coastal Carolina as defensive coordinator

On3 imageby:Billy Embody•12/18/22•

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SMU's Craig Naivar is leaving the program. (Matt Visinsky - On3)

Coastal Carolina is expected to hire SMU special teams coordinator and safeties coach Craig Naivar as defensive coordinator, sources tell On3’s Matt Zenitz. Naivar spent on season on the Hilltop.

Before SMU, Naivar spent two seasons in Los Angeles working for USC as safeties coach.

SMU is coming off a 7-6 first season under head coach Rhett Lashlee. Now, he’ll be charged with replacing an assistant with long-standing Texas ties.

The Mustangs have a pair of safeties committed in Dallas (Tex.) South Oak Cliff safety Abdul Muhammad and DeSoto (Tex.) safety Jaden Milliner-Jones, both of which won state championships over the weekend. SMU also has a safety commit out of the NCAA Transfer Portal in Stanford’s Jonathan McGill.

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In 2021, Naivar helped true freshman Calen Bullock to an honorable mention note for Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors as he totaled 40 tackles, two interceptions and three pass breakups. In 2020, safety Talanoa Hufanga was a consensus All-American first teamer, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the Polynesian College Co-Player of the Year, a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and a semifinalist for the Witten Award.

He spent the previous 3 years (2017-19) at Texas. He handled the Longhorn safeties each season and also was the special teams coordinator the first 2 years and the co-defensive coordinator in 2019. He served as Texas’ interim defensive coordinator in the 2019 Alamo Bowl, a 38-10 victory over No. 12 Utah in which the Longhorns defense limited the Utes to just 254 total yards and 15 first downs.

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