Anthony Campanile will be the Jacksonville Jaguars’ next defensive coordinator, but they weren’t the only team pursuing him.
According to Tom Silverstein, who covers the Packers for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Campanile turned down an offer to become Penn State’s next defensive coordinator and he would have been the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator if Robert Saleh had ended up with a head coaching job elsewhere.
Campanile joins the Jaguars after spending the 2024 season with the Green Bay Packers as their linebackers coach and run game coordinator. Before that, he was the Miami Dolphins’ linebackers coach from 2020-2023.
As the run game coordinator, the Packers’ run defense this past year ranked among the best in football, allowing the third-fewest yards per carry.
Rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper also put together an impressive year, which included being named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week twice, along with winning the NFC’s Rookie of the Month in December and Cooper was a PFWA All-Rookie team selection as well.
Campanile brings a diverse coaching background to the Jaguars, operating in both 4-3 and 3-4 structures along with working within a variety of different schemes.
“Anthony Campanile represents exactly what we want to be as a defensive unit and football team,” Head coach Liam Coen said. “He brings an aggressive defensive mindset and a system that is adaptable to our players and allows them to play fast and physical.”