Dré Bly

Dré Bly was added to the Carolina coaching staff as a defensive assistant in March of 2026.

Bly comes to Columbia after spending the 2025 season as an assistant defensive backs coach for the New York Jets. In 2024 he served as a defensive analyst for the Charlotte 49ers.

In 2023, Bly worked as the cornerbacks coach for Detroit in the NFL where he helped the Lions clinch their first NFC North division title since 1993.

Bly began his coaching career as an intern, first with the New Orleans Saints in 2017, then with the Miami Dolphins in 2018. His first full-time coaching position was as the cornerbacks coach for his alma mater, North Carolina, from 2019-22.

An 11-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion, Bly played cornerback for the St. Louis Rams (1999-02), Detroit Lions (2003-06), Denver Broncos (2007-08), and the San Francisco 49ers (2009). The two-time Pro Bowler was a second-round draft pick by the Rams in 1999 and appeared in 167 games including 117 starts throughout his NFL career.

Bly was a three-time All-America cornerback for the Tarheels, leading the nation in interceptions (11) during his redshirt freshman year and winning ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 1996. He set the ACC record for career interceptions with 20. He was one of three finalists for the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Year Award following his sophomore season.

Bly was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014 and was voted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

A native of Chesapeake, Va., Bly and his wife, Kristyn, have four sons, Trey, Jordan, A.J. and Emanuel, and a daughter, Peyton.