MIAMI (Jan. 13, 2020) – Head Coach Butch Davis announced the hiring of DJ McCarthy to the FIU coaching staff on Monday, as the veteran coach brings a wealth of experience to the FIU football program.
 
McCarthy will oversee special teams for the Panthers. McCarthy comes to the Panthers after spending this past season at FAU and has nearly 20 years of coaching experience in the college and NFL ranks.

"Around the football community people know DJ McCarthy as a spectacular recruiter – which is a big deal for any coach – but equally important is that he is a great football coach," Davis said. "DJ is a great communicator and has an extensive background of working on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, which I think is critically important for a special team's coordinator. He's got great chemistry as well and will help raise the expectations and the performance of our entire special team's group.
 
McCarthy will make the short trip from Boca Raton to Miami and brings the unique distinction of owning a national title as both a player (Washington) and as a coach (LSU). While at FAU, McCarthy coached the wide receivers and was responsible for both kick and punt returns for the Owls. McCarthy helped the Owls top the conference in total offense, passing offense and scoring, while ranking Top 10 nationally for all three categories.
 
"The chance to work with Coach Davis, who is a legend in his own right, is an honor," McCarthy said. "I'm also very happy to stay in South Florida and have my kids grow up in the same area I grew up in. I've been a Palm Beach county guy my whole life, so coming a little further south to the Broward and Dade County area will be very exciting." 
 
McCarthy has also had other collegiate stops at Florida A&M (2016), Bethune Cookman (2012-15), LSU (2007-10), UCLA (2006), UCF (2004-05) and Nevada (2000-03). While with LSU, McCarthy was the top recruiter with the Tigers and helped lead the Bayou Bengals to a national title in 2007. During his collegiate tenure, McCarthy has developed NFL talents such as Brandon Marshall (UCF), Nate Burleson (Nevada), Earley Doucet (LSU), Brandon LaFell (LSU) and Terrence Toliver (LSU).
 
Aside from his collegiate coaching experience, McCarthy also has spent time with the Edmonton Eskimos (2018) and Oakland Raiders (1998-2000). With the Raiders, McCarthy assisted with the defensive secondary and special teams as he helped coach NFL greats like Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard and Eric Allen.
 
McCarthy graduated from the University of Washington in 1994, where he played receiver for the Huskies for three seasons. He was a member of the 1991 National Championship team and was part of two Rose Bowl teams. Prior to transferring to Washington, he attended Long Beach City College for two years.
 
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