Arizona Cardinals expected to hire Miami RBs coach Matt Merritt

Miami running backs coach Matt Merritt is expected to be hired as the Arizona Cardinals’ next running backs coach, sources tell On3. He’s developed Mark Fletcher and Damien Martinez, among others, during his time in Coral Gables.

Merritt’s departure is the second Miami offensive coach to leave the Hurricanes this offseason. Tight ends coach Cody Woodiel previously left for the same role at Ole Miss.

Merritt departs Miami after two seasons with the Hurricanes. He produced a 1,000-yard rusher in his lone two seasons in Martinez and Fletcher. Fletcher was the anchor of Miami’s run to the College Football Playoff national title game, rushing for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

The running backs coach arrived at Miami following a stint at USF. In December 2023, Merritt was selected by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) for the 2024 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. In his only season at USF, he helped the Bulls produce 12 team and 16 individual records as the team capped the biggest turnaround in USF history (a six-win improvement) with a 45-0 rout of Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl.

USF ran for 182.8 yards per game (2,377 total yards) to rank third in the American Athletic Conference and posted 5,871 total yards (451.6 per game), the third-best mark in program history. Running back Nay’Quan Wright ran for 797 yards and eight touchdowns under Merritt’s mentorship.

Merritt has previously made stops at James Madison, Tennessee and Ohio State.