The Nebraska football team moved quickly to fill its final open coaching staff spot after safeties coach Miles Taylor departed for the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens. In fact, head coach Matt Rhule and Rob Aurich are expected to pull Taylor's replacement, Tyler Yelk, from the NFL.
Yelk is currently a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles, but 247Sports' Matt Zenitz was the first to report the Huskers are trending towards bringing him to Lincoln. Yelk just finished his third year with the Eagles, but before that, he spent several years in the college ranks.
During those years in college, Yelk spent time with the Idaho Vandals as part of the same staff that Rob Aurich served on. In that regard, he has something in common with Taylor, who had coached with Aurich before joining him at Nebraska.
Nebraska is expected to hire Philadelphia #Eagles defensive assistant Tyler Yelk as its new safeties coach, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 6, 2026
Nebraska lost its previous safeties coach, Miles Taylor, to an NFL job. Now expected to hire a coach from the NFL level as his replacement. pic.twitter.com/YTPkpkpW7P
What Tyler Yelk’s NFL and college background could bring to Nebraska’s safeties
Before his coaching career, Yelk as a player as a safety from 2005-2008 with Minnesota-Duluth. Yelk was named an All-American defensive back for three different organizations as a senior. He ended his tenure as UMD's career leader in tackles (323) after leading the team in tackles in three seasons, including as a freshman, and during UMD's 2008 undefeated championship season. Yelk was twice named First-Team All-NSIC/NCC. Following his senior year, he was selected to play in the 2008 Cactus Bowl, an all-star game for Division II seniors.
Before coaching at Idaho, Tyler Yelk spent three seasons at Temple coaching safeties and nickels (2019-21), one at Northern Illinois (2018), two at FCS South Dakota (2016-17; Aurich joined USD in 2018), and three at FCS Western Illinois (2013-15).
Nebraska's hire of Yelk isn't official yet but if and when it does become a done deal, the Huskers coaching staff should finally be completed after a very active winter.