Tag: Chargers coaching staff

Chargers hire 4 to sports performance staff

The Chargers are close to having their entire staff built out after adding four more on Thursday.

The Chargers are close to having their entire staff built out after adding four more on Thursday.

Los Angeles announced the hirings of executive director of player performance Ben Herbert, head strength and conditioning coach Devin Woodhouse, director of performance analytics and performance analyst Lincoln DeWolf.

Head strength & conditioning coach Jonathan Brooks will continue in his role on the staff.

Herbert spent the last six seasons at the University of Michigan as their strength and conditioning coach.

Woodhouse recently spent the 2023 season at Michigan as their assistant strength and conditioning coach. He served in the same role for the University of Wisconsin the two seasons prior (2021-22).

Rabe worked the past four seasons (2020-23) on the strength and conditioning staff as an assistant at Michigan.

DeWolf recently worked as the associate director of performance analytics at Michigan.

Chargers hire Kiel McDonald as running backs coach

Jim Harbaugh’s staff now includes a plethora of coaches making the move to the NFL.

The Chargers are finalizing a deal to hire USC running backs coach Kiel McDonald in the same capacity on Jim Harbaugh’s staff, per Adam Schefter.

The move, in Schefter’s terms, comes as college coaches supposedly are looking towards the pros to avoid dealing with the NIL landscape. Harbaugh’s staff now includes a plethora of coaches making the move to the NFL, both coming with him from Michigan as well as other schools.

McDonald was the RBs coach at USC for three seasons. His main developed product, MarShawn Lloyd, could be one of the top 10 or so running backs picked in this year’s NFL Draft.

Prior to USC, McDonald had five year stops at both Utah and Eastern Washington. Former Utah RB Zack Moss is perhaps the most significant pro he coached during his time in college. Moss is a free agent that the Chargers could potentially sign this offseason as they reshape their running back room.

Under McDonald, Utah’s 2021 running backs averaged the second highest yards per attempt marks in the country and were 13th in total yards per game.

The 2024 Chargers’ offensive staff now looks like:

HC: Jim Harbaugh

OC: Greg Roman

Pass game coordinator: Marcus Brady

Run game coordinator/TEs coach: Andy Bischoff

Offensive line coach: Mike Devlin

QBs coach: Shane Day

RBs coach: Kiel McDonald

WRs coach: Sanjay Lal

Senior offensive assistant: Mark Trestman

Chargers hire Will Tukuafu as assistant defensive line coach

Will Tukuafu will work alongside Mike Elston.

The Chargers hired Will Tukuafu as their assistant defensive line coach.

Over the past two seasons, Tukuafu served as a defensive quality control coach with the Seahawks.

Tukuafu’s playing days began with the Seattle in 2010 as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon. He was released before joining the 49ers that same year. Jim Harbaugh was his head coach from 2011 to 2014. Tukuafu played fullback, defensive line and on special teams.

After five seasons with San Francisco, Seattle signed him again and he went on to play with them for three seasons before calling it quits.

Tukuafu will work alongside defensive line coach Mike Elston.

Chargers announce 2024 coaching staff

The Chargers have announced the members of head coach Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff for the 2024 season.

The Chargers have announced the members of head coach Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff for the 2024 season.

Some of the biggest names were already known as the hirings of offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and the holdover of special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken.

Roman will be working with passing game coordinator Marcus Brady, quarterbacks coach Shane Day, run game coordinator/tight ends coach Andy Bischoff, wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal, offensive line coach Mike Devlin, and senior offensive assistant Marc Trestman.

Linebackers coach NaVorro Bowman, defensive line coach Mike Elston, defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale, safeties coach Chris O’Leary, senior defensive assistant Rick Minter, defensive assistant Dylan Roney, and defensive quality control Robert Muschamp will work with Minter.

Assistant special teams coach Chris Gould rounds out the group.

Several spots on the coaching roster, including running backs coach, still need to be filled.

Here’s who’s on Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers coaching staff

Here’s a look at who’s onboard the Chargers coaching staff as it continues to take shape.

Since being hired as head coach of the Chargers, Jim Harbaugh has been hard at work to build out his staff.

Here’s a look at who’s onboard as it continues to take shape:

Report: Chargers hiring Chris O’Leary as safeties coach

Chris O’Leary reunites with Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

The Chargers are hiring Chris O’Leary as their safeties coach, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

O’Leary finished his third season as Notre Dame’s safeties coach, establishing himself as a quality position coach for head coach Marcus Freeman.

O’Leary was credited for working with Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, a first-round pick by Baltimore in the 2022 NFL draft. This past season, O’Leary worked with the Nagurski Trophy winner, Xavier Watts, who led the nation in interceptions.

O’Leary started as a defensive analyst in 2018. O’Leary held the titles of senior football analyst in 2019 and defensive graduate assistant before being promoted to safeties coach. In 2020, he helped coach now Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who won the Butkus Award.

O’Leary reunites with Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as they coached together at Georgia State and O’Leary played at Indiana State during Minter’s time as an assistant coach.

Report: Defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale leaving Michigan for Chargers

Jim Harbaugh is bringing another coach from Michigan.

After reportedly telling his players he was staying at Michigan earlier in the week, it seems that defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale has reversed course.

Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press reports that Michigan’s former co-defensive coordinator is jumping ships with Jim Harbaugh.

Clinkscale is the latest Michigan coaching staff member to reportedly leave with Harbaugh to Los Angeles. Others include Ben Herbert, Jesse Minter, Dylan Roney, and Mike Elston.

Michigan’s CFP National Championship-winning secondary included the likes of great contributors like Mike Sainristil, Rod Moore, and Will Johnson. Johnson and Moore will be returning to Michigan for 2024, but Sainristil at nickel corner could be a name to watch come April for the Chargers.

Assuming that Clinkscale keeps the same role in the pros, the Chargers will have their defensive backs coach position on their staff figured out. Yesterday, the hiring of former All-Pro NaVorro Bowman as linebackers coach was reported. As mentioned earlier, Elston is also reportedly making the jump to be the Chargers’ defensive line coach. The defensive coaching staff is coming into focus for LA.

So far, Harbaugh has pulled deep from his past at both the pro and college levels to fill out his staff with many Niners/Michigan connections. However, in building this “all-star” staff, as he calls it, the new Chargers head coach has also hired some names sans previous personal connections, like passing game coordinator Marcus Brady.

Report: Chargers to hire NaVorro Bowman as linebackers coach

The Chargers are expected to reach a deal with the former All-Pro linebacker.

Jim Harbaugh has already brought back Greg Roman from his San Francisco days. Reportedly, he won’t be the last name to return from the 2010s 49ers.

The Chargers are expected to reach a deal with former All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman to become their linebackers coach.

Bowman was an All-Pro linebacker in each one of his healthy Niners seasons under Harbaugh. In 2014, he missed the regular season with a torn ACL and MCL. Bowman would finish his playing career in 2017.

While Bowman doesn’t have formal coaching experience, he has spent the last three seasons as a defensive analyst for Maryland football. A step up to the pros would be an adjustment, but he obviously knows a thing or two about operating the middle of the field at the pro level. Especially while working with his former coach.

Bowman would be an inspired hire for a linebacker group in desperate need of retooling outside Daiyan Henley. Given their contractual situations, it seems unlikely that Kenneth Murray or Eric Kendricks will be back next season.

Bowman recently saw his longtime 49ers’ running mate Patrick Willis receive induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now alongside Harbaugh once again, Bowman may not be done making an impact on the pro game after retiring four years ago.

Report: Chargers hiring Sanjay Lal as wide receivers coach

Sanjay Lal has coached NFL wide receivers dating back to 2009.

The Chargers are hiring Sanjay Lal as their wide receivers coach, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Lal, 54, spent the past two seasons with the Seahawks as their wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. He also worked in Seattle as a senior offensive assistant in 2020.

Lal began his career in the NFL in 2007, working as a quality control coach for the Raiders before being promoted to wide receivers coach. He worked in that same role with the Jets, Bills, Colts, Cowboys and Jaguars.

Lal began his college career at UCLA in 1989 before transferring to the University of Washington, where he played from 1990 to 1992.

Report: Chargers bringing back Shane Day as quarterbacks coach

The Chargers are bringing back a familiar face.

The Chargers are bringing back Shane Day to serve as the team’s quarterbacks coach, according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo.

Day was previously Los Angeles’ QBs coach during the 2021 and 2022 seasons under former head coach Brandon Staley. He was relieved along with former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

Day spent the 2023 season as the Texans’ senior offensive assistant.

Day cracked in the NFL in 2007 as the 49ers’ offensive quality control coach.

Day has served as the quarterback coach of the Bears (2010-11) and 49ers (2019-20), the assistant offensive line coach of the Commanders (2014-15), and the tight ends coach of the Dolphins (2016-18).

Justin Herbert had a good relationship with Day, so familiarity should be good for him as the fifth-year signal-caller is about to play in yet another new offensive system.

The Chargers announced Greg Roman as their offensive coordinator and Marcus Brady as their passing game coordinator.