Jeff Hafley of Boston College joins the Packers as defensive coordinator

The Green Bay Packers announced on Wednesday that Jeff Hafley, the head coach of Boston College, will take over as their new defensive coordinator.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur released a statement saying, “We are delighted to welcome Jeff, his wife Gina, and their daughters, Hope and Leah, to the Packers and the Green Bay community.” “Jeff has a strong track record of developing players at all levels and has been successful at every stage in his coaching career. We are excited to have him in charge of our defence.”

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In three of his four years at Boston College, Hafley led the Eagles to bowl eligibility with a 22–26 record. This season, Boston College went 7-6 with a victory against SMU, ranked 22nd, in the Fenway Bowl.

Hafley has previously turned down offers to coach in the NFL. However, he accepted this coordinator position because he wanted to work for one of the most prestigious NFL teams and because of the general situation of college football.

According to an ESPN insider, “he wants to go coach football again in a league that is all about football.” “Coaching in college is now about transfers, NIL, fundraising, and building your own squad. There’s no time left for football coaching.

“He returned to college for a number of things, but those things have vanished.”

This year, Hafley is the third active college head coach to resign on his own will in order to take a position as coordinator. He follows Maurice Linguist of Buffalo and Kane Wommack of South Alabama. Both of them accepted coordinator positions at Alabama, and their actions illustrate the resource gap that results from elite universities pulling away from one another. The significance of name, image, and likeness deals in recruitment and roster retention has increased in the modern day.

Hafley was greatly attracted to the Packers because of their promising future and solid youthful core. He has been a lifelong supporter of the Packers team and friend of LaFleur.

As LaFleur begins his sixth season as the team’s head coach, he will take Joe Barry’s position as the third different defensive coordinator.

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Even though LaFleur and Hafley have never collaborated directly, they do have some relationships. Under then-head coach Mike Pettine, who served as LaFleur’s first defensive coordinator in Green Bay (2019–20), Hafley coached the Browns’ defensive backs in 2014–15. Hafley was also employed by LaFleur’s mentor, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. Before taking a position as Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator in 2018, Hafley coached the 49ers’ defensive backs from 2016 to 2018.

None of the other defensive coaching staff members of the Packers were let go when Barry left the team; all of them have contracts until 2024. Therefore, there’s a significant likelihood that some, if not all of them, will go back to working for Hafley.

Hafley is a seasoned NFL assistant coach who returned to collegiate football in 2019 to serve as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator after seven years of experience teaching multiple secondary positions in the NFL.

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After the 2019 season, Hafley was appointed head coach of Boston College, filling in for the 2020 season that was disrupted by COVID-19. In the four years he had a losing record, 3-9 in 2022, that was all.

The last time Boston College had nine wins in a season was in 2008, under Jeff Jagodzinski. The previous three coaches have not been able to win nine games.

During Hafley’s tenure at BC, three of the best recruiting classes in BC history were assembled. When BC defeated No. 16 NC State in 2022, Hafley guided BC to its first victory over an Associated Press-ranked opponent since 2014. This season’s bowl victory for BC was the team’s first since 2016.

Source:
https://www.espn.in/nfl/story/_/id/39429573/sources-packers-hire-boston-college-jeff-hafley-dc

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