maurice linguist

Maurice Linguist was born in Dallas, Texas, on April 1, 1984. He played college football as a defensive back at Baylor University from 2003 to 2006, where he earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 accolades as a senior. He completed his undergraduate degree in communications in 2006 and a master’s degree in health, human performance, and recreation in 2007, both from Baylor. His coaching career began shortly after, serving as a graduate assistant at Baylor in 2007. This early experience laid the foundation for a career marked by progressive coaching roles across various institutions and a focus on defensive backs.

Linguist quickly moved through the coaching ranks, gaining experience at Valdosta State, James Madison, and his first stint at Buffalo from 2012-2013, where he coached defensive backs and played a key role in the team reaching the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2013. He continued to develop his expertise at Iowa State (2014-2015), Mississippi State (2016), Minnesota (2017), and Texas A&M (2018-2019). During his time at Texas A&M, he was recognized as one of ESPN.com’s ‘Top 40 under 40’ coaches in 2018 and was pivotal in securing top recruiting classes. His experience expanded to the professional level in 2020, coaching defensive backs for the Dallas Cowboys, where he contributed to the development of rookie Trevon Diggs.

His leadership capabilities led him to his first head coaching position at the University at Buffalo from 2021 to 2023. During this period, he notably led the Bulls to a 7-6 record in 2022, culminating in a victory at the Camellia Bowl, only the third bowl win in the program’s history. Under his guidance, Buffalo’s defense made significant improvements, particularly in takeaways, leading the MAC in 2022. In 2024, Linguist joined the University of Alabama as Co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs coach, where he continues to influence defensive strategies and player development, contributing to top-ranked passing defense statistics in his initial season.