The 7th Floor · Dec 10, 2018
Jonathan Patke was a good hire for the Hurricanes
Photo by Mark Brown/Getty ImagesWhen the NCAA approved a 10th on-field assistant coach Mark Richt went with an in-house promotion to fill the role. Instead of bringing in an outsider Manny Diaz’s quality control assistant, Jonathan Patke, was promoted to “outside linebackers coach.” Patke was charged with the molding of the new striker position on defense.
With offenses choosing to be more multiple Miami could no longer completely sub out a box linebacker for a nickel back in the era of up tempo offense. Instead, Miami wanted a position that could both stop the run and play in pass coverage. Patke’s two main position players would be Derrick Smith and Romeo Finley.