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The Arizona Cardinals introduced Mike LaFleur as their next head coach.
As the Arizona Cardinals embark on their next rebuild, the first coaching staff will be key for new head coach Mike LaFleur. The Cardinals have already hired their three main coordinators, but there are still positions left to be filled.
One more position has been filled. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports that the Cardinals will hire the University of Miami’s passing game coordinator, Zac Etheridge. Etheridge will coach the cornerbacks.
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.
Etheridge is the second coach the Cardinals have hired from the College Football Playoff runner-ups. He joins Matt Merritt, who will coach Arizona’s running backs. Like Merritt, Etheridge’s first NFL coaching opportunity will come with the Cardinals.
This is a hire that could carry implications in the upcoming draft. The Cardinals are commonly linked to two Miami players in mock drafts. Per Arizona Sports’ mock draft tracker, Miami OT Francis Mauigoa and DE Rueben Bain Jr. rank as the most and fourth-most popular players for the No. 3 pick.
As the defensive passing game coordinator, Etheridge offers unique intel on how Bain can impact the game. General manager Monti Ossenfort has drafted defensive linemen with his last two first-round picks.
Who is Zac Etheridge?
Etheridge, 37, is a former safety at Auburn. He was a team captain on the 2010 squad that won a National Championship, whose quarterback was future NFL MVP Cam Newton.
He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, signing with the then-Oakland Raiders. However, he only lasted one training camp. A knee injury led to his release and subsequent retirement.
Instead, he immediately took the coaching route. Etheridge joined Bill O’Brien’s initial staff at Penn State as a graduate assistant in 2012. From there, he bounced around different college programs as a defensive backs coach. He coached at Western Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Houston, Auburn, and then Miami.
After being hired by the Cardinals, Etheridge returns to the NFL 14 seasons after his playing career ended. He has no previously noted connections with any of the team’s current cornerbacks, despite coaching the position for nearly a decade.
Cardinals Cornerback Situation Under Zac Etheridge
Etheridge will coach a cornerback room that’s gotten a talent infusion from the draft. Ossenfort has used a Day 2 pick at the position for all three years on the job. That’s produced Garrett Williams, Max Melton, and Will Johnson, who all project to be the starting corners.
Melton and Johnson will likely start on the outside with Williams in the slot. Williams might not be available in Week 1 after suffering an Achilles tendon rupture late in the 2025 season.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Ossenfort drafted another cornerback high in the 2026 NFL Draft. On top of his injury situation, Williams is in the final year of his rookie contract. The franchise tag is unlikely, since slot corners get paid considerably less than outside corners.
Making the obvious connection to the Cardinals’ newest hire, the only Miami corner invited to the combine is Keionte Scott. Etheridge successfully recruited Scott out of high school at Auburn before the two reunited at Miami in 2025. That connection will be something to watch in the next draft. Scott could be in play for Arizona’s second-round pick.
Michael McDermott Michael McDermott is a writer at Heavy Sports covering the Arizona Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball. Michael has 10 years experience writing about the D-backs and their farm system for AZ Snake Pit, Burn City Sports, and Diamondbacks On SI. More about Michael McDermott
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