Arizona has added one more notable guest speaker to its upcoming “Be a P.R.O.” Coaching Clinic: Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor.
Taylor will join Super Bowl-winning coaches Brian Billick and Mike Smith as featured speakers during the two-day clinic from March 24-25.
Taylor coached with Wildcats head coach Jedd Fisch in 2018 with the Los Angeles Rams, when Taylor was the quarterbacks coach and Fisch was the senior offensive assistant, in L.A.'s run to the Super Bowl. Taylor is 22-11 in his last two seasons as the Bengals head coach. Cincy has gone to two straight AFC championships under Taylor.
Billick and Smith will trek to Tucson after recently coaching against each other in the Hula Bowl, a college all-star showcase for players preparing for the NFL draft. Former UA defensive end Jalen Harris was the UA’s representative in the Hula Bowl this year.
In his first season as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2008, Smith was named the AP Coach of the Year and was also a three-time Sporting News Coach of the Year recipient. He was a defensive assistant under Billick with the Baltimore Ravens and helped the franchise win a Super Bowl during the 2000 season. Smith last coached in the NFL in 2018, when he was defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In the middle of his well-traveled NFL coaching career, Fisch was an offensive assistant under Billick with the Ravens from 2004-07. In nine seasons as head coach in Baltimore, Billick went 80-64 with four postseason appearances. He’s a member of the Ravens’ Ring of Honor.
Billick was also an advisor and analyst for Herm Edwards at Arizona State.
Last year, Fisch’s former boss, L.A. Rams coach Sean McVay, was among the featured speakers at the Be a P.R.O. clinic, along with longtime Florida Gators coach Steve Spurrier.
