Brandon Staley continues to add to his staff.
Following the departure of Renaldo Hill, who left for a job with the Dolphins, and the promotion of defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley to defensive coordinator, the Chargers had an opening in the secondary. Tom Donatell was elevated to pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach around the same time as Ansley, but most teams employ both a pass game coordinator as well as a dedicated secondary coach.
As of Friday, the Chargers reportedly have found that secondary coach: Georgia Southern defensive coordinator Will Harris, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. Zenitz initially reported that Harris would be LA’s defensive backs coach before clarifying that he is expected to become the Chargers’ assistant secondary coach.
At Georgia Southern, Harris’ defense forced 15 red zone stops, second in the country. He also coached CB Derrick Canteen, who was projected to be a mid-round pick before transferring to Virginia Tech. Prior to coordinating the Eagles’ defense, Harris was the defensive backs coach at Washington, where he coached Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie, Bears CB Kyler Gordon, Titans CB Elijah Molden, Cardinals CB Byron Murphy Jr., Patriots CB Myles Bryant, and Rams S Taylor Rapp.
Harris has also coached NFL defensive backs Andre Chachere during his time at San Jose State, so his reputation as a developer of talent precedes him into the NFL. A safety under Pete Carroll at USC from 2005-09, Harris had 113 tackles and six interceptions in his career as a Trojan before going undrafted in 2010.