Vikings add five coaches, finalize 2023 staff

The #Vikings hired five assistant coaches on Tuesday, locking in their coaching staff for the 2023 season

The Minnesota Vikings added five assistant coaches to their coaching staff on Tuesday, locking in the administrative portion of their gameday roster. Among the new hires were defensive assistant Imarjaye Albury, assistant inside linebackers coach Thad Bogardus, and assistant special teams coach Dalmin Gibson.

Albury was a scout in the Vikings organization last season and is entering his fourth season on the coaching staff after taking a brief respite from his role as an assistant defensive line coach in Minnesota from February 2020 to June 2022. Joining him on defense will be Bogardus, who served as the Los Angeles Rams’ outside linebackers coach in 2022, where he coached the likes of Leonard Floyd and Ernest Jones.

Gibson is making his first appearance on staff at the NFL level, joining the Vikings after a successful stint at Southern Illinois University where he served as the Saluki’s special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach last season.

Others hired by the team on Tuesday were Pat Hill, who will serve as the assistant defensive line coach, and Michael Hutchings, who joins the team as their new assistant defensive backs coach. Hill is a veteran coach with experience at both the collegiate and NFL levels, having served last as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive line coach in 2013. Hutchings was the outside linebackers coach for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers last year, and previously held roles at the University of Oregon and the University of Southern California as a defensive analyst.

These signings should serve to shore up Minnesota’s staff, and give the team leverage to continue developing the young talent on their roster.

Report: Vikings to hire Western Kentucky coach Michael Hutchings

The Vikings continue to go back to the college ranks to round out their assistant coaching staff

The Minnesota Vikings are heading into the offseason with several positions on their roster that need attention, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. However, they also have some holes to fill on their coaching staff.

On Sunday, Matt Zenitz of On3Sports reported that the Vikings were hiring Western Kentucky coach Michael Hutchings as their new assistant linebackers coach.

The Minnesota Vikings are expected to hire Western Kentucky outside linebackers coach Michael Hutchings as an assistant linebackers coach”

Hutchings played inside linebacker for the USC Trojans from 2013 to 2016. In his final season, he also served as team captain. From there, Hutchings moved on to become the defensive assistant linebackers coach at USA for three seasons (2018–20) before moving on to Oregon for one season as a defensive analyst. He was most recently the outside linebackers coach at Western Kentucky.

Hutchings is a young coach, and while this is his first chance to coach in the NFL, it’s a huge honor to be selected for Brian Flores’ defensive staff.

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