National Football League

Jaguars hire Aukerman, as special teams assistant

Published Jan. 16, 2012 8:26 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Jacksonville Jaguars have retained Craig Aukerman, hiring him as an assistant special teams coach.

Aukerman was a defensive staff assistant with the Jaguars last season, his first year with the franchise. He has 12 years of coaching experience, including 10 at the collegiate level. Aukerman's first season in the NFL was as an assistant in Denver in 2010.

Aukerman is the fifth assistant on new coach Mike Mularkey's staff. He joins offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, defensive line coach Joe Cullen and linebackers coach Mark Duffner.

Tucker, Cullen, Duffner and Aukerman are all holdovers from Jack Del Rio's tenure. Jacksonville's defense ranked sixth in the NFL last season, one of the few bright spots on a team that finished 5-11.