Bethune-Cookman has entered an agreement to hire former Miami and NFL star safety Ed Reed as its next head coach, the school announced on Tuesday. Reed, 44, had previously served as the "Chief of Staff" and senior football advisor at Miami, where he starred as a player from 1997-2001. Reed's only other coaching experience came in 2016 when he served as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills.
The St. Rose, Louisiana, native was a decorated player for the Hurricanes, earning consensus All-American honoros 2000 and 2001 and the Big East co-defensive player of the year in 2001. Reed was a pivotal leader for the Hurricanes' run toward a BCS championship win over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. His 21 interceptions in his four years in Coral Gables still stand as a program record.
"Ed is one of the best to ever wear a Miami Hurricanes uniform and he has served as a great mentor to our student-athletes the past three years," said Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich, per the Associated Press. "He will do a tremendous job leading the Wildcats ... the entire Miami family wishes him all the best."
A super college career was rivaled only by Reed's time in the pros. He was selected 24th overall by the Ravens in the 2022 NFL Draft and spent 11 seasons in Baltirmore, where he was a five-time All-Pro and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2004. His career was capped by a win in Super Bowl XLVII before spending the next season with the New York Jets and Houston Texans before retiring. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Reed replaces Terry Sims, who was fired in November after seven seasons, and takes over a program that went 2-9 overall and 2-6 in SWAC competition. Sims was 38-39 in his seven seasons at Bethune-Cookman and posted 2-9 records in each of the last two seasons. His best season came in his first campaign, when the Wildcats went 9-2 and finished No. 25 in the FCS rankings.