Darnell Stapleton, a former Rutgers football offensive lineman, is heading to the NFL. Stapleton, last with Florida, will be an assistant offensive line coach with the Washington Commanders.
In 2006, Stapleton was a part of Rutgers football’s best-ever team, becoming a finalist for the Rimington Award (given to the nation’s top center). He remains one of the top offensive linemen in program history.
Stapleton played in the NFL for four seasons, spending his first three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers after signing as an undrafted rookie free agent. With the Steelers, he won Super Bowl XL.
In 2010, he signed with the New England Patriots in what was his final season in the NFL as a player.
From there, he transitioned to coaching. In 2013, he was a graduate assistant as part of then-head coach Kyle Flood’s staff. He left Rutgers the following year to become the offensive line coach at Bucknell.
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He joined Florida in 2022 as their offensive line coach.
REPORT: Florida co-OL coach accepts position with Washington Commanders https://t.co/cM1eHpuhNg pic.twitter.com/mtLeeXpxMH
— Gators Wire (@GatorsWire) February 15, 2024
Stapleton, who has never coached at the NFL level, is an intriguing hire by new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. He will work under offensive line coach Bobby Johnson.