Reports: Bears To Hire Louisville DL Coach Clint Hurtt

By Adam Hoge-

(CBS) -- The Bears are expected to hire former Louisville defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, according to multiple reports, but it's unclear exactly where he will fit on Marc Trestman's coaching staff.

The Bears officially filled the only two vacancies on their staff Thursday by hiring Paul Pasqualoni to coach the defensive line and Reggie Herring to coach the linebackers.

The University of Louisville released a statement Thursday announcing Hurtt was leaving for an NFL job, but did not specify which team he would be joining.

"I truly looked forward to working with Bobby Petrino at Louisville, but I feel this is a great opportunity," Hurtt said in the statement.

Reports from CBSSports.com, ESPN and the coaching website CoachingSearch.com indicated that Hurtt will be joining the Bears' staff. CoachingSearch.com reported "Hurtt will likely be coaching the defensive line in some form."

When the Bears announced the firings of defensive line coach Mike Phair and linebackers coach Tim Tibesar, the press release said "the remainder of the coaching staff will remain in place for 2014." Assistant defensive line coach Mike Sinclair was with the rest of the Bears' coaching staff at Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala. this week.

Hurtt, 35, is currently under a two-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA for violations he committed at the University of Miami. New Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino originally retained Hurtt on his coaching staff, but it Hurtt has had a change in plans.

On his Facebook page, Hurtt wrote late Thursday: "(Louisville athletic director) Tom Jurich is as good as gold some may feel me leaving for this opportunity is not right but he totally understood why I wanted this. No different then the reason I came here-to grow in this profession. He respected it and understood I told him this wasn't a ploy to "hide out" and go to Texas. Lol people really don't know me if they think I'm a follower. I follow one person and that's God. I love (former Louisville head coach) Charlie Strong and (former Louisville defensive coordinator) Vance Bedford but I stated to Charlie long before this is what I wanted to do, coach in the NFL."

Strong was hired as Texas's new head coach earlier this month and brought Bedford with him. Hurtt did not make the move, presumably because the NCAA show-cause penalty makes it difficult for a penalized coach to jump from one job to another within college football because those penalties are imposed on the new school the coach is joining.

Those penalties, of course, don't apply in the NFL, however.

Hurtt, a former defensive lineman at the University of Miami, has no NFL coaching experience. He has served as defensive line coach in stops at FIU, Miami and Louisville and was also Miami's and Louisville's recruiting coordinator.

Adam Hoge covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.