Boston College coach Jeff Hafley has made the decision to leave his position and join the Green Bay Packers as their new defensive coordinator, according to an announcement made by the Packers on Wednesday. Hafley, who has spent the last four seasons with the Eagles, will be taking over for former Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who was let go earlier this month.
The Packers expressed their excitement about Hafley joining their team, with head coach Matt LaFleur stating, “We are excited to welcome Jeff, his wife, Gina, and their daughters, Hope and Leah, to the Packers and the Green Bay community. Jeff has had success at every stop of his coaching career with an impressive track record of developing players at every level. We look forward to him leading our defense.”
This will be Hafley’s second stint in the NFL, having previously served as a defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2018. Before joining Boston College, he spent one season as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Ohio State.
During Hafley’s tenure at Boston College, the team reached bowl eligibility in three out of four seasons. In their most recent season, the Eagles finished with a 7-6 record, their highest number of wins since 2018. They ended the year on a high note with a victory over No. 22 SMU in the Fenway Bowl.
Hafley’s main task with the Packers will be to improve their defense, which ranked 22nd in points per drive, 25th in scoring percentage, 20th in yards per play, and 25th in third-down percentage in 2023. With his experience and track record of developing players, Hafley is expected to bring a fresh perspective and make significant improvements to the Packers’ defensive performance.
Interestingly, Hafley is not the only college head coach to voluntarily leave for a coordinator position this offseason. South Alabama coach Kane Wommack and Buffalo coach Maurice Linguist also made similar moves, joining new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer as co-defensive coordinators. This trend highlights the appeal and opportunities that NFL coordinator positions offer to talented college coaches.
The coaching landscape has seen several high-profile changes since the end of the 2023 season. Following the retirement of legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban, DeBoer was appointed as his successor. This led to a chain reaction of coaching moves, with Washington hiring Arizona coach Jedd Fisch as their new head coach, and the Wildcats subsequently selecting San Jose State coach Brent Brennan as Fisch’s replacement.
In another notable move, Jim Harbaugh, who had just won the national title with Michigan, left the Wolverines to take on the vacant job with the Los Angeles Chargers. As a result, Wolverines offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was promoted to fill Harbaugh’s shoes.
With these recent coaching changes, the football landscape is experiencing a significant shift, with talented coaches seeking new challenges and opportunities at both the college and professional levels. It will be interesting to see how these moves impact the teams involved and whether they can achieve success in their new roles.