The Cleveland Browns continue to fill their coaching staff under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
The Browns are hiring Jason Tarver as linebackers coach, an unnamed source told cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
Tarver, 45, served as Vanderbilt’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2018-2019 under head coach Derek Mason.
#Browns hiring former #Vanderbilt DC Jason Tarver as LB coach, source confirms
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) February 8, 2020
In December, Vanderbilt announced the firing of Tarver and offensive coordinator Gerry Gdowski after a 3-9 (1-7 SEC) season.
It marked Vanderbilt’s worst record since Mason’s first year coaching the program in 2014.
In 2018, Tarver was hired at Vanderbilt to take over defensive play-calling duties from Mason.
Tarver brings 16 years of NFL experience with him to Cleveland, as he is set to replace Al Holcomb.
Holcomb took the Carolina Panthers run game coordinator position under new coach Matt Rhule.
Before Tarver’s two-year stint at Vanderbilt, he served as the linebackers coach for the San Francisco 49ers (2015-2017), defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders (2012-2014), defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for Stanford (2011), outside linebackers coach for the 49ers (2005-2010), assistant running backs coach for the 49ers (2004), graduate assistant at UCLA (1998-2000) and as a linebackers, defensive backs and special teams coach at West Valley College (1996-1997).
In 2014, Tarver and new Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods worked on the Raiders’ staff together.
Woods was the team’s defensive backs coach and Tarver was the defensive coordinator.
On Thursday, the Browns officially hired Woods.
The Browns have also hired Chris Kiffin as their defensive line coach, and Jeff Howard as their defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator.
Kiffin and Howard have also worked with Woods before.
Tarver has worked with many notable coaches, including David Shaw at Stanford, Bill Walsh, Steve Mariucci, John McVay, Mike Singletary, Chip Kelly, Kyle Shanahan, Dennis Allen and Bob Toledo.
Tarver is a native of Northern California and attended Santa Clara University as a student from 1992-1997.
Since Santa Clara cut its football team after the 1992 season, he played defensive back at West Valley College for the 1994-1995 seasons.
Tarver graduated from Santa Clara in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry.
He also earned a master’s degree from UCLA in 2000.
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