National Football League

Source: Buccaneers hire Butch Davis

Published Feb. 9, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

Alex Marvez

Butch Davis left the state of Florida to become an NFL head coach.

Eleven years later, Davis is returning to the Sunshine State with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A source told FOXSports.com that Davis was hired Thursday as a senior defensive assistant. Davis will work closely with new Bucs head coach Greg Schiano and whomever the team ultimately names its defensive coordinator.

After coaching at the University of Miami from 1995 to 2000, Davis was hired by the Cleveland Browns as their head coach in 2001. Davis was unable to duplicate his college success, resigning under pressure just before the end of the 2004 season. Davis had a 24-35 overall record with the Browns, but he did lead Cleveland to what remains its lone playoff appearance since returning to the NFL in 1999 as an expansion team.

Davis, 60, resurfaced as the University of North Carolina’s head coach in 2007. While he helped rebuild the program and groomed three first-round NFL draft picks (New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, St. Louis defensive end Robert Quinn and ex-San Francisco defensive end Kentwan Balmer), Davis was fired before the 2011 season after the Tar Heels were found to have committed a slew of NCAA rules violations.

Schiano, who was an assistant under Davis with the Hurricanes, added more experience to his staff earlier this week when hiring Jimmy Raye II as a senior offensive assistant.

FOXSports.com first reported that John Shoop, who worked under Davis as UNC’s offensive coordinator, interviewed for the team’s offensive coordinator vacancy earlier this week.