By Charlie Leffler
On Monday afternoon, Louisville football head coach John L. Smith announced that Paul Haynes will join his staff as cornerbacks coach. Haynes spent last season as a defensive quality control coach for the Jacksonville Jagaurs and will work with a veteran secondary which returns intact from the 2001 Cardinal squad. He replaces Greg Burns who is not the secondary coach at the University of Southern California.
With the Jaguars, Haynes, 32, assisted the defensive coaching staff in all aspects of game preparation, including scouting reports, opponent breakdown and writing the playbook.
Haynes played safety at Kent State from 1987 to 90. He was a team captain as a senior and second team All-Conference. He joined the Jaguars from Kent State, where he was the assistant head coach/safeties coach in 2000 after one season as the school’s secondary coach.
“We’ve looked for someone who will fit in and be a part of the family,” said Smith. “He brings a lot to the table for us and we’re happy to have him.”
“I’m a very aggressive football coach,” said Haynes. “I always coach every play. I demand perfection, especially of the guys I coach because that’s what I played. I’m a little bit bias of that position.”
The new coach had a chance to talk to the defensive backs that will be learning from him and let them know that he was a highly motivated and demanding individual. “Like I just told the players,” said Haynes. “You’ve got to get used to me, you’ve got to get used to my style cause, you may make a good play and I may still jump you because I don’t think you made that play well enough.”
“I like hitters,” said Haynes, “so you’ve got to be aggressive and you’ve got to be a hitter back there.”
The new coach is expected to bring not only a pro style with him from the Jaguars but also the recruiting incentive of having been in the pro ranks. “Basically all they did was play a lot of man to man,” said Haynes. “That’s why it was so exciting for me to come back here because I think I can tell those guys a little bit of what it takes to get to that level. I know what they’re looking for, what they’re not looking for, cause that’s what all those guys have a dream of.”
