Marion Hobby named defensive line coach

JACKSONVILLE – Another defensive assistant has become official.

And the latest addition to the Jaguars’ coaching staff is another assistant with strong ties to Head Coach Doug Marrone.

Marion Hobby, co-defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach at Clemson University the past six seasons, has been named the Jaguars’ defensive line coach. The Jaguars made the announcement Wednesday evening.

“Marion Hobby is an excellent coach who breeds success and comes from a winning culture,” Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin said in a statement. “In recent years, Marion has overseen the development of top-tier players who are currently experiencing success at the highest level in the National Football League. His coaching prowess and ability to maximize his players’ abilities will bode very well for our organization.”

Hobby, 50, spent the 2006-2007 seasons coaching defensive ends with the New Orleans Saints. Marrone, who was named the Jaguars’ head coach last week, was the Saints’ offensive coordinator from 2006-2008.

“Marion Hobby is coming off a national championship-winning season and over the past six years, has helped establish Clemson as one of the premier defenses in college football,” Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone said in a statement.

“I had the pleasure of coaching with Marion for two seasons in New Orleans and have personally observed his ability to get the most out of his players. Our team’s ability to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks and to stop the run will be key factors in our success moving forward and I feel that under the leadership and direction of Coach Hobby, those goals will be accomplished at a high level.”

Hobby has 22 years of coaching experience, including the last six seasons at Clemson. The Tigers finished in the Top 25 in all six seasons that Hobby has been on staff. Over the past five seasons, Clemson’s defense has totaled 597 tackles for loss, the most in the country.

Among players Hobby coached at Clemson were Shaq Lawson, Kevin Dodd and Vic Beasley. Lawson was a first-round selection by Buffalo in the 2016 NFL Draft and Beasley led the NFL in sacks this past season with 15.5 for the Atlanta Falcons.  Dodd was a second-round selection by Tennessee in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Hobby spent 2008-2010 as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach at Duke and was the defensive ends coach at Clemson in 2005. He was the defensive line coach at Ole Miss from 199-2004 and spent 1998 as assistant strength-and-conditioning coach at Tennessee. He coached defensive tackles and was a strength-and-conditioning assistant at Louisiana Lafayette in 1996 and 1997 and was a strength-and-conditioning assistant at Tennessee Martin in 1995.

Hobby played collegiately at Tennessee and spent 1990-1992 playing defensive end for the New England Patriots.

Hobby became the seventh coaches officially named to Marrone’s staff in the last six days.

The Jaguars officially named Joe DeCamillis special teams coordinator Friday, and named Todd Wash the defensive coordinator Saturday morning. The team also announced the hirings of offensive line coach Pat Flaherty and secondary coach Perry Fewell on Saturday.

They named Tyrone Wheatley running backs coach on Monday and named Nathaniel Hackett offensive coordinator early Wednesday evening.