Tag: Coaching Carousel

Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley is leaving for the NFL

In a strange turn of events, BC head coach Jeff Hafley is NFL-bound.

In a bit of a surprise, Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley is leaving college football to join the Green Bay Packers as their defensive coordinator. Hafley last coached in the NFL from 2016 to 2018 with the San Francisco 49ers as the defensive backs coach.

The newest Packers assistant has also made stops with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns, before returning to the collegiate game with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2019.

Hafley becomes the latest member of the coaching carousel, in an offseason that has been full of twists and turns. According to the report by Pete Thamel of ESPN, Hafley wanted to focus on coaching football and not everything else that comes with being a coach at the FBS level.

“He wants to go coach football again in a league that is all about football,” a source told ESPN. “College coaching has become fundraising, NIL and recruiting your own team and transfers. There’s no time to coach football anymore.

“A lot of things that he went back to college for have disappeared.”

With Hafley now leaving to rejoin the NFL, the Boston College Eagles will need to find a new football coach just days before National Signing Day. Not an ideal situation but that is the hand dealt to BC.

The Eagles could look at a few different candidates but the top ones might include Notre Dame offensive coordinator Al Golden and Texas offensive coordinator Kyle Flood. Both have experience running programs but have remained as assistants in recent years.

Hard work has always defined Commanders HC candidate Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson’s path to becoming an NFL head coach is about hard work.

Ben Johnson has had to work hard as a player and a coach, but years of that hard work appear to have paid off.

Johnson was never the superstar, the high-prized college recruit. In fact, following high school, Johnson had no scholarship offer, so he had to walk on at the University of North Carolina.

While at UNC, Johnson was learning the offense, learning to play quarterback, but ironically Johnson was never able to make the field at quarterback. Those who started ahead of Johnson for the Tar Heels were Darian Durant, Matt Baker, Joe Dailey, Cameron Sexton, and T.J. Yates. Yates was the only one who was drafted in the NFL (Texans, 152 overall in 2011).

Johnson did, however, agree to play special teams, get on the field as a Tar Heel, and graduate from UNC in 2008.

After three seasons (2009-11) at Boston College, launching his coaching career, he was hired by the Dolphins for the 2012 season. As an “offensive assistant,” he found on that offensive staff were OC Mike Sherman, TE Dan Campbell, and QB Zac Taylor.

https://youtube.com/shorts/hKVbL82tAgw?si=WOhv-MJY4xai9Ek6

Campbell, today, is the Lions’ head coach, and Taylor, the Bengals’ head coach. Sherman had already been an OC with the Seahawks and Texans while also the Packers head coach six seasons (2000-05).

When Joe Philbin became the Dolphins head coach in 2014, he brought in Bill Lazor for his offensive coordinator. Some Washington fans will recall Lazor as part of Joe Gibbs’ offensive staff during the 2004-2007 seasons.

Al Saunders (with Washington 2006-07) joined the staff in 2015. Adam Gase, former OC) became head coach in 2016 and hired Clyde Christensen as his OC and Chris Foerster (OL), who was in Washington under Mike Shanahan. Then Dowell Loggains was brought in as the new OC, Johnson’s last year on the Dolphins staff.

Johnson then served under offensive coordinators Darrell Bevell (2019-20) and Anthony Lynn (2021) with the Lions.

All of this to say, Johnson has had an opportunity to learn from many.

According to some in the NFL, Johnson is a keen student and a great communicator.

He still appears to be the front-runner to become the next head coach of the Commanders.

Washington zeroing in on Arizona’s Jedd Fisch as next head coach

The Wildcats head coach led Arizona to its first 10-win season since 2014 and could replace new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer.

The Washington Huskies may have found their next head coach.

After former head coach Kalen DeBoer left to replace Nick Saban at Alabama earlier this week, a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday indicated that Washington has targeted Jedd Fisch to be its next head coach.

Fisch spent the past three seasons as Arizona’s head coach. The Wildcats had won nine games over the past three seasons before he took the job, including a winless 0-5 year in 2020. Fisch could only manage a single win in his first year in 2021, but the team took leaps and bounds in each year of his tenure. After Arizona won five games in 2022, the Wildcats exploded onto the national scene with 10 wins this past season.

Arizona played a ranked team seven times in the 2023 season and won five of those games, including a dominant 42-18 victory over Utah and a 38-24 victory over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. For the season, Arizona only lost three games. They lost in overtime twice (against Mississippi State and USC) and fell to eventual playoff team Washington by just seven points.

Freshman quarterback Noah Fifita (who could be a transfer target if Fisch takes the job) emerged as a breakout star with 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns, and six interceptions on his way to winning Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors.

The latest on Michigan head Jim Harbaugh and potential NFL suitors

A Saturday report from NFL Network updated Harbaugh’s status with the Chargers, Raiders, and the Wolverines.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh might still be celebrating his first CFP National Championship, but the rest of the football world is trying to figure out whose sidelines he will be roaming once fall rolls around again.

A Saturday morning report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport elaborated on Harbaugh, a former NFL head coach with the San Francisco 49ers, and his chances of returning to the professional ranks.

The report said Harbaugh is expected to speak with the Los Angeles Chargers sometime next week and said those in Harbaugh’s circle think there’s a reasonable chance he would leave the Wolverines for the job. The Raiders are also apparently interested in the Michigan coach, but interim head coach Antonio Pierce has the locker room, including stars like edge rusher Maxx Crosby and wide receiver Davante Adams, advocating for him.

Rapoport and Pelissero added that Harbaugh and Michigan are still negotiating a potential extension in the middle of all this in a week that’s already seen Florida State and Texas in extension talks with their coaches to keep them from other jobs.

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer expected to be named Alabama’s next head coach

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, who won 25 games over the past two years, will reportedly replace Nick Saban at Alabama.

Alabama has reportedly found Nick Saban’s replacement.

Just two days after the seven-time national champion unexpectedly announced his retirement, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Friday that the Crimson Tide are in the final stages of negotiating with Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer to be the next Crimson Tide head coach.

The Huskies head coach led his team to 25 wins over the past two seasons, including 21 straight wins from the middle of the 2022 season until Monday’s national championship loss to Michigan. Only two teams won more games than Washington during DeBoer’s tenure.

The Huskies finished with 343.7 passing yards and 36.0 points per game, finishing second and 13th in the nation in the respective categories, and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. won the Maxwell Award and finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.

Before Washington, DeBoer spent two years as the Fresno State head coach in 2020-21. He went 12-6 in 18 games as the Bulldogs head coach.

DeBoer also spent time on the offensive staff of Indiana (2019) and Eastern Michigan (2014-16), and he was the head coach at Sioux Falls for five years. At just 49 years old, this will be his first coaching job in the SEC.

Get more Alabama coverage from Roll Tide Wire.

Dan Lanning tells his team he’s staying in Oregon despite Alabama rumors

The second-year Oregon head coach was a hot name to replace legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who retired on Wednesday.

On the heels of Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s shocking retirement on Wednesday, a popular name for his replacement seemed to be Oregon head coach Dan Lanning.

In fact, social media caught fire after an alleged flight tracker posted a photo of a private charter from Eugene to Tuscaloosa, seemingly confirming Lanning would at least be brought in for the job.

Instead of letting those rumors fester, Lanning chose to dispel any questions about his status as the Ducks head coach with a short little video shared to social media.

“It’s not about worrying about the next thing,” Lanning said in a team meeting, “It’s about wondering what’s right in front of you, the six inches right in front of your face.”

The video ended with a short speech from Lanning about how he wanted to stay in Eugene as long as the city and the program wanted him to be the coach.

“This place has everything that I could possibly ever want,” Lanning said.

With one big name off the board, the Alabama coaching search continues as the Crimson Tide try to find someone to replace Nick Saban.

Commanders request permission to interview Cowboys DC Dan Quinn

The Commanders want to speak with Cowboys DC Dan Quinn.

Could the Washington Commanders find their next head coach by stealing away the defensive coordinator of their hated rivals?

According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Commanders have requested permission to interview Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn for their vacant head coaching position.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Quinn has turned around the Cowboys’ defense since coming aboard as defensive coordinator in 2021. The former Falcons head coach has received multiple opportunities to interview for other head coaching positions since arriving in Dallas, but owner Jerry Jones has managed to keep him around. Quinn chose not to interview for any jobs last offseason.

Could the Chargers or Commanders’ openings tempt Quinn to walk away from Dallas?

He is one of the NFL’s best coordinators and can afford to be choosy. At 53, there is still plenty of time for Quinn to take another head coaching job. Jones also pays him well.

The Cowboys finished No. 5 in FTN’s defensive DVOA in 2023, one year after finishing No. 4. Dallas is fundamentally sound on defense and does an outstanding job of rushing the passer and creating turnovers.

What did Washington’s defense lack in 2023? The ability to rush the passer and create turnovers.

Quinn’s candidacy feels like a longshot, but this is another case of the Commanders doing due diligence in finding their next leader.

Commanders request permission to interview Texans OC Bobby Slowik

Slowik spent three seasons in Washington under Mike Shanahan.

The Washington Commanders continue to cast a wide net in search of their next head coach. On Monday, the Commanders requested permission to interview Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

Slowik is the sixth known candidate Washington has requested to interview for its vacant head coaching position. Slowik, 36, is no stranger to Washington, having spent three seasons under former head coach Mike Shanahan as a defensive assistant from 2011-13.

After the Shanahans were fired, Slowik took an interesting route back to the NFL. From 2014-16, he worked as an analyst at Pro Football Focus before returning to the NFL with Kyle Shanahan in 2017 as a defensive quality control assistant. Throughout his six seasons with the 49ers, Slowik served in four different roles, finishing his time with the 49ers as the offensive passing game coordinator in 2022.

In 2023, the Houston Texans hired San Francisco defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as head coach. Ryans brought Slowik with him as Houston’s offensive coordinator. In his first year with the Texans, Slowik played an instrumental role in the development of No. 2 overall pick, QB C.J. Stroud, in Houston’s turnaround from one of the NFL’s worst teams to a division winner.

The Texans went from No. 31 in offensive DVOA in 2022 to No. 14 in 2023, according to FTN.

Commanders request permission to interview Ravens DC Mike MacDonald

Washington wants to interview another top candidate.

We’ve heard that Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris reportedly wants to shape his organization like the Baltimore Ravens. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Harris sees the Ravens as the ideal model from an organizational standpoint.

Harris’ first significant hire in October was Eugene Shen. Shen was hired as Washington’s senior vice president of football strategy, overseeing the team’s analytics department.

On Monday, the Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera. Shortly afterward, Washington officially began seeking permission from other teams to interview potential general managers and head coaches. One of those head coaching candidates is Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald.

MacDonald, 36, is in his first season as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator. The Ravens finished No. 1 in the NFL in defensive DVOA, per FTN. FTN’s DVOA metric is considered a much better indicator of statistical success than traditional numbers, such as total defense.

A graduate of the University of Georgia, MacDonald began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for Mark Richt at his alma mater in 2010. He would ascend to a defensive quality control assistant for the next three years before receiving an opportunity in the NFL.

In 2014, MacDonald joined the Ravens as a coaching intern. He moved up as a defensive assistant for the next two seasons before becoming defensive backs coach in 2017. From 2018-20, MacDonald served as Baltimore’s linebackers coach. After that season, he left John Harbaugh and the Ravens to become Jim Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan. After one outstanding season, he returned to the Ravens, where he’s been the defensive coordinator for the past two seasons.

MacDonald is one of the top candidates during this coaching cycle.

Commanders request permission to interview Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris

Morris spent three seasons in Washington working under Mike Shanahan and Jay Gruden.

You can add the name of Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to the list of potential candidates to become the next head coach of the Washington Commanders.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Commanders have requested permission to speak with Morris for their vacant head coaching position.

Morris, 47, has an impressive resume. He began his NFL coaching career in 2002 with Tampa Bay as a quality control assistant. He spent four seasons with the Buccaneers before accepting the defensive coordinator position at Kansas State in 2006.

He returned to the Bucs in 2007 as defensive backs coach under Jon Gruden. When Gruden was fired at the end of the 2009 season, Morris was promoted to head coach in 2009. In three seasons as head coach, Morris had a record of 17-31. In 2020, he was named interim head coach of the Falcons, where he had a record of 4-7.

After his stint as head coach of Tampa Bay, Morris served as Washington’s secondary coach for three seasons from 2012-14. For two years, he was on the staff of Mike Shanahan, along with Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur and Sean McVay. Jay Gruden retained Morris in 2014.

In 2015, Morris moved on to Atlanta, serving in multiple roles until his interim head coaching stint in 2020.

He was named the Rams defensive coordinator in 2021.