UNC makes new coaching hire
North Carolina head coach Butch Davis announced Wednesday morning that the Tar Heels have found a new defensive line coach---former college and National Football League assistant Charlie Coiner.
Davis made the announcement during the ACC's regular weekly teleconference.
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"He (Coiner) is a good football coach," said Davis. "He's smart. He's bright. He's got good communication skills. He's a good teacher. He's got a unique perspective in that he has seen an awful lot of very good football players and how they play. I think it's a good addition."
Coiner most recently worked with Dick Jauron's staff with the Buffalo Bills from 2006 through 2009.
He was fired from his position with the Bills in January and hadn't found another coaching job until the Tar Heels came calling.
Coiner is familiar with the region as a native of Waynesboro (Va.) and a graduate of in-state institutions Catawba College and Appalachian State.
He received his Master's Degree at Appalachian State in the mid-1980s, where he was first familiarized with current UNC defensive coordinator Everett Withers and secondary coach Troy Douglas during his time in Boone as a grad assistant.
Withers and Coiner also worked together in the 1990s at Louisville, where Withers was the defensive coordinator and Coiner the tight ends coach of the Cardinals from 1995 to 1997.
Coiner would eventually find his way to the NFL and the Chicago Bears, where from 2001 to 2005 he served in various capacities, including quality control coach, special teams, and an offensive assistant.
It was during his time in Chicago that Coiner worked previously with UNC offensive coordinator John Shoop, who served as the Bears' coordinator from 2001 to 2003.
Given Coiner's familiarity with both of North Carolina's coordinators and the fact that he's from the region, this appears to be a sensible and attractive hire for the Tar Heels.
"He's got a close personal relationship with several of the coaches on our staff and I think that from a chemistry standpoint, that was critically important," Davis said.
"If you're going to add someone at this stage into the mix, it needs to be somebody that's got really good chemistry and enthusiasm. I think that certainly Charlie will bring that."
Clearly Coiner came highly recommended from men like Withers, Shoop, and Douglas.
Coiner's hiring also shows that the University still has confidence in Coach Davis to make personnel moves---which is even more proof that he's likely going to survive this whole situation.
Although most of Coiner's professional experience was on offense and special teams, he has experience coaching defensive linemen at his various college destinations.
In an 18-season collegiate coaching career from 1983 to 2000, Coiner worked at schools including Appalachian State, Minnesota, Austin Peay, Vanderbilt, Texas Southern, Louisville, UT-Chattanooga, and LSU.
"He (Coiner) has got a diverse background," said Davis. "He started his career early on the defensive side of the football. He worked on the defensive line and he's going to work with our defensive ends and with our defensive tackles."
Coiner could also potentially pitch in on special teams, an area he's coached at several different places both in college and the pros.
"One of the real added pluses is that he brings a level of expertise with special teams," Davis added of Coiner. "He has been an assistant special teams coordinator in the National Football League."
Coiner has been in Chapel Hill this week and should get started immediately with the Tar Heels.
Coiner replaces former UNC defensive line coach John Blake, who resigned last week amidst a swirl of controversy with several of his current and former players currently embroiled in the NCAA investigation.
The Tar Heels moved linebackers coach Art Kaufman temporarily to the defensive line and Withers to the linebackers, and that arrangement will likely stay in place at least this week.
"It's unrealistic to expect in a short two-or-three day period of time that we'll see the effects of what he'll be able to do," said Davis of Coiner.
"We're still in the transition area in that Art Kaufman and Everett Withers will continue until Charlie has gained enough exposure to the things that we're doing. It will still be kind of a collaborative effort of a lot of people---myself included---that's working with the defensive line."