Former Pittsburgh Steelers and Georgia wide receiver Hines Ward is set to join Florida Atlantic‘s coaching staff, sources told ESPN.
Ward, a four-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion with the Steelers, entered coaching with the New York Jets in 2019 and remained there in 2020.
Florida Atlantic does not have any full-time assistant jobs available, but The Owl’s Nest, which first reported the move, noted that Ward is expected to work alongside new FAU wide receivers coach Joey Thomas, a former NFL and CFL player.
Ward, 45, had 1,000 receptions for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns in 217 career games for the Steelers between 1998 and 2011. He was a third-round draft pick out of Georgia, where he twice earned All-SEC honors. While at Georgia, Ward played for a coaching staff that included David Kelly, now Florida Atlantic’s coordinator of player personnel.
After retiring from the Steelers, Ward worked as an NFL analyst with NBC, and has been a contributor to both CNN and HLN since 2016.
He joined the Jets as an offensive assistant in September 2019.
