Dolphins Land MAC Coaching Coup

Dolphins Land MAC Coaching Coup

In 2017, the San Francisco 49ers signed an undrafted wide receiver from Duke to a two-year deal. Poached from the Green Bay practice squad, he’d only been on the Packers active roster once, promoted for the NFC Championship game against Atlanta as insurance for the ailing Jordy Nelson.

He came to California with just one career catch – a four-yarder when he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars – and spent almost two years working under Mike McDaniel, who was the Niners’ run game specialist and run game coordinator. From early on in their relationship, it was clear that McCaffrey was destined for a long career in football, just not on the field. The superstar-playing genes had gone to his brother Christian and, to a lesser degree, to his brother Luke, now a WR with the Commanders. But 49ers coaches were struck by his aptitude for the nuance of the game, in part because he’d grown up around football: his father Ed was an All-Pro receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion, and when the McCaffrey boys were young, they used football trading cards to come up with plays which they’d practice for hours in the back yard.

When McCaffrey left the 49ers, he joined the DC Defenders of the XFL and was hoping to latch back on in the NFL, but the coaching bug was nagging away at him. When his father got the job as head coach at Northern Colorado, he offered Max the gig as wide receivers coach, and it was an easy decision to step into a career that many saw coming from a long way off. By 2021, he was promoted to offensive coordinator, often talking to his former 49ers coaches about scheme and leaning on them for advice. When McDaniel got the job as the Dolphins’ head coach, it surprised few people in the industry that he reached out to McCaffrey and asked him to join the coaching staff as an offensive assistant.

When McDaniel was fired by Stephen Ross and joined the Chargers this offseason, it was no surprise to see McCaffrey go with him, joining Jim Harbaugh’s staff as the new running backs coach. Many see him as a future NFL OC with head coach potential.

So why is this relevant to the 2026 Miami Dolphins?

Well, on Friday, it was quietly announced, albeit unofficially, that the Dolphins have hired a new offensive assistant, filling the role vacated by McCaffrey.

Step forward, CJ Conrad, one of the rising stars in college football coaching and a man expected to follow a similar career path.

The role of offensive assistant coach is vitally important to the day to day running of a unit, a catch-all for a position that entails wearing multiple hats: breaking down film so that when the head coach or offensive coordinator are looking for a specific play or concept, they don’t need to go through all of the film to find it; scripting practice plays; analysing opponent data; assisting with game planning; keeping track of scouting reports, working with the data department and scout team; and working hand-in-hand with a lot of other departments to get things readily accessible for the senior coaches.

Conrad’s journey is reminiscent of the man who preceded him. A 6’5, 252lb tight end at the University of Kentucky, he started 42 games for the Wildcats, recording 80 catches with 1,015 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Known as ‘Mini Gronk’, he listed his dream job – other than playing in the NFL – as becoming the agent of Rob Gronkowski. But at the Scouting Combine, that #1 dream hit the buffers: team doctors discovered a heart problem, and he was initially diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, effectively ending his playing career.

However, a second opinion at a Boston Hospital gave him a chance. A team of specialist cardiologists determined that Conrad didn’t, in fact, have ARVC, and he was diagnosed instead with an enlarged pulmonary artery, an issue that required annual observation but came with the green light to return to the game he loved.

He went undrafted in 2019 but caught on with the Giants. However, much like McCaffrey before him, it was clear he faced an uphill battle. He impressed in OTAs and mandatory mini-camp, but was not as productive in training camp. He caught eight passes for 62 yards in the preseason at 7.8 yards per catch and was signed to the practice squad, but was cut after only a couple of weeks. Unfortunately for Conrad, he never hooked up with another team.

But those around him saw bigger things for the former four-star recruit. Despite his NFL aspirations, he was aware that catching on as an NFL tight end was unlikely.

Instead, he stayed fit and worked on a master’s degree in sports leadership. Then, in the summer of 2020, he returned to Lexington and joined the coaching staff at Kentucky as a graduate assistant. From there he worked up to becoming an offensive quality control coach under Liam Coen as he finished his education, before being hired at Eastern Kentucky as the Colonels’ tight ends coach.

He spent a season at EKU before being poached by Kent State as their tight ends coach in 2024 and reviving the position, before being promoted to special teams coordinator last season alongside his TE duties. Under Conrad, the Golden Flashes became the best special teams unit in the G6. They had the best return man in the MAC with Da’Realyst Clark, one of only a handful of players with multiple kickoff return touchdowns in 2025. Tight end Terik Mulder tallied 19 receptions for 198 yards and four scores, tying for second on the team in TD receptions, and Conrad was a nominee for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant in college football.

“C.J’s work ethic is second to none,” said his former Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops. ”He was a vital part of this programme for a long time, and he’s really good at what he does. He’s a great coach and mentor to our young men.”

Stoops is right. In talking to people around the MAC yesterday, it was clear the 29-year-old is one of the brightest young coaches in college football, and his signing is something of a coup for the Dolphins.

So what’s the connection to Miami? Much like the relationship between McCaffrey and McDaniel, Conrad worked with new offensive line coach Zach Yenser at Kentucky and made a big impression. So don’t be surprised if he follows the same path as the last Dolphins graduate assistant, and in a year’s time, if some of our offensive coaches move on, I’d expect CJ Conrad to quickly become an assistant coach, and one with a very bright future.