The Green Bay Packers reached into the college ranks to find their next defensive coordinator and came back with Jeff Hafley, according to a source with knowledge of the decision. Hafley is expected to become the Packers coordinator after spending the past four seasons as head coach of Boston College.
The job will mark a return to the NFL for Hafley, who previously coached defensive backs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers from 2012 to 2018. In 2019, he joined Ohio State’s staff as co-defensive coordinator before taking the head job at Boston College in 2020.
“I loved my four years at Boston College,” said Hafley. “This is an exceptional place to coach given the caliber of student-athletes we recruit, the facilities, and the support from the University and BC fans. I will miss the players who gave so much of themselves these past four years, and my wife Gina and I will certainly miss the BC community and the many friends we have made here.”
Hafley went 22-26 over four seasons at BC, qualifying for three bowl games.
“Jeff has had success at every stop of his coaching career with an impressive track record of developing players at every level,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “We look forward to him leading our defense.”
How surprising is this?
There were six reported names of interest/interviews for the Packers’ vacant defensive coordinator position after they fired Joe Barry following a season-ending loss to the 49ers: former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, Bills linebackers coach Bobby Babich, Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde, Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker, Ravens secondary coach Dennard Wilson and Ravens inside linebackers coach Zach Orr.
At least publicly, the hiring of Hafley for the position came out of left field, but he doesn’t arrive in Green Bay devoid of NFL experience.
A former wide receiver at Siena, Hafley first cracked the NFL coaching landscape in 2012 as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Buccaneers. Over the next six seasons, he served as the defensive backs coach for the Buccaneers (2013), Browns (2014-15 when former Packers DC Mike Pettine was the Browns head coach) and 49ers (2016-18).
Hafley then served as Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach in 2019, and defensive end Chase Young (No. 2), cornerback Jeff Okudah (No. 3) and cornerback Damon Arnette (No. 19) were all top-20 picks from the Buckeyes’ defense in 2020. Hafley has been the head coach at Boston College for the past four seasons and now arrives in Green Bay needing to transform a defense that underachieved relative to its individual talent under Barry the last three seasons. — Matt Schneidman, Packers beat writer
Hafley’s specialty
In Hafley’s one season as co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2019, the Buckeyes went from No. 72 in the nation in yards allowed per play to No. 1. In Hafley’s four seasons as Boston College’s head coach, however, the Eagles ranked 60th, 31st, 100th and 87th, respectively, in points allowed per game. Hafley didn’t call plays on defense during his tenure with Boston College.
Hafley’s specialty is in the secondary, which could look vastly different in Green Bay. The Packers’ top three safeties, Darnell Savage Jr., Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford, are all scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. So too is nickel cornerback Keisean Nixon.
Will the Packers keep 2023 seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine opposite Jaire Alexander on the outside at cornerback or will the Packers use one of their five picks in the first three rounds to add another starter at the position?
