I can confirm this report. Chiefs and UK have re-entered negotiations and are expected to reach an agreement for Matt House to join the staff as LB coach.
"Put your Matt House in
Your Matt House out
Your Matt House in
And shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey
And turn yourself around
That's what it's all about" [Reply]
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three days after Kentucky announced defensive coordinator Matt House had decided to stay in Lexington amid interest from the Kansas City Chiefs, the Wildcat assistant has reversed course and decided to leave for the NFL job.
House was reported to be a candidate to be the Chiefs' new linebackers coach. After the initial announcement he was staying at UK, multiple NFL reporters tweeted House had wanted to take the job but was prevented from doing so because of his buyout at Kentucky.
UK players were informed of House's decision to leave the program Tuesday morning, a source told the Courier Journal.
With House gone, there are several likely candidates within Mark Stoops' staff to take over the defensive coordinator responsibilities. Stoops promoted from within the last time the job was open, elevating House from special teams coordinator to defensive coordinator after D.J. Eliot left the program.
Special teams coordinator Dean Hood was a former Power Five conference defensive coordinator at Wake Forest and FCS head coach at Eastern Kentucky. Defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale served as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati before coming to UK, and outside linebackers coach Brad White is considered a rising star in the business thanks to his NFL experience and work developing Josh Allen into the National Defensive Player of the Year and an early first-round NFL draft prospect in his first season at Kentucky.
Stoops will also have to find a replacement for House's recruiting ability as the defensive coordinator just finished a productive year recruiting Georgia, where Kentucky signed four players in its 2019 class.
House, who previously worked for Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo with the then-St. Louis Rams, led a UK defense that ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense and 23rd in total defense a year ago. Kentucky must replace seven starters from that defense in 2019, including Allen and the entire secondary.
According to the terms of House's contract, he would owe UK $150,000 to buyout the remaining year of the deal, which paid him $650,000 per year through the 2019 season. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hoover:
I'll fall over dead when an NFL team hires a Chiefs defensive coach to be a DC or HC. That hasn't happened in like 30 years.....
Marty's tree. Cowher, Herm and Dungy.
Herm would've been the last 'first' hire in 2001 for the Jets. Cowher in 93 would be the last guy taken directly from our staff to be a HC but I don't expect that'll happen with House or Daly either. They could use this as a springboard to a DC gig somewhere but if the team is successful, Spags is gonna stick around. The only way he doesn't is if the defense is genuinely excellent like the Bears.
Merely getting the D to decent isn't gonna be enough to get a 60 year old DC a head coaching gig unless he knows Sean McVay. [Reply]
Matt House will be heading to the Chiefs, after all
Posted by Mike Florio on February 12, 2019, 11:44 AM EST
Getty Images
The on-again, off-again pursuit of Matt House by the Chiefs is back on. For now.
Via multiple reports, the UK defensive coordinator will be leaving Lexington to become Kansas City’s linebackers coach. The report comes after House was slated to leave, and then after Kentucky decided not to follow through on a buyout arrangement.
House, who spent 2008 through 2011 as an assistant with the Panthers and Rams, has seen most of his career coaching at the college level. He’s been at Kentucky for three seasons. Before that, he worked for Florida International for one season and Pitt for three.
The move will reunite him with new Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo; they previously spent time together when Spagnuolo served as head coach of the Rams. [Reply]
