Maurice Linguist
Maurice M. Linguist is an American football coach. He is the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the University of Alabama, a position he has held since 2024. He was the head coach for the University at Buffalo from 2021 until his departure in 2024 to join the Alabama coaching staff.
Playing career
A native of Mesquite, Texas, Linguist played at Mesquite High School for the 2001 state champion Mesquite Skeeters and college football as a defensive back for Baylor. As a senior, he was an honorable mention on the All-Big 12 Team. He received a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's degree in sports management at Baylor.Coaching career
Assistant coaching jobs
After playing at Baylor, Linguist spent a season as a graduate assistant with the Bears. The following year, he coached defensive backs and special teams at Valdosta State. From 2009 until 2011, he coached [Safety (gridiron American football|football position)|safeties] at James Madison.In 2012, he joined the coaching staff at Buffalo for the first time as a defensive backs coach. In 2013, he was the team's co-defensive coordinator as well as its recruiting coordinator.
In 2014, he was hired to coach the secondary at Iowa State. In 2016, he was hired as the safeties coach at Mississippi State. Linguist spent the 2017 season coaching defensive backs at Minnesota. Following the season, he was named an assistant head coach to P. J. Fleck. However, less than a month later, in January 2018, he left the Golden Gophers to join the coaching staff at Texas A&M.
After serving for two years as the cornerbacks coach at Texas A&M, Mike McCarthy hired him as the secondary coach of the Dallas Cowboys, his first job in the National Football League.