GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur has found a successor to Joe Barry as the team’s Defensive Coordinator. ESPN was the first to report LaFleur has tabbed Boston College Head Coach Jeff Hafley for the job. His name was barely mentioned during the search and interview process but the 44 year Hafley has a defensive resume from both the college and pro level going back more than 20 years.
In four years with the Boston College Eagles, Hafley went 22-26 but got his team bowl eligible this past season and defeated SMU 23-17 in the Fenway Bowl to finish 7-6. According to reports, Hafley became disenfranchised over the direction college football was headed with constant conference realignment, the proliferation of NIL money and little oversight from the NCAA.
Prior to becoming a Head Coach for the first time, Hafley was co-Defensive Coordinator at Ohio State University in 2019 under Ryan Day. He was named the Coordinator of the Year by 247 Sports for leading the Buckeyes defense from 72nd in the country to number one in yards per play. Ohio State finished in the top 10 in total defense and scoring defense that year.
Hefly spent 7 years in the National Football League as a defensive assistant at three stops beginning with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 and 2013 as a secondary and safeties coach. From there me moved to Cleveland for the ’14 and ’15 seasons, serving as the defensive backfield coach for then Head Coach Mike Pettine who was LaFleur’s first Defensive Coordinator in Green Bay. Current safety coach Ryan Downard was a defensive assistant in Cleveland at that time. Hefly then spent three years (’16-’18)with the San Francisco 49ers as the DB’s coach under Kyle Shanahan. That defense was coordinated by LaFleur’s closest friend in the business, Robert Saleh, now the Head Coach of the New York Jets. Packers Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenavich was an assistant offensive line coach on that 49er staff for two years before coming to Green Bay and Director of College Scouting Matt Malaspina was a scout for the 49ers at that time.
Hefly worked his way up the college ranks with stops at Albany, Pittsburgh and Rutgers before getting his first NFL job. He will become the third Defensive Coordinator for LaFleur in what will be his sixth season with the Packers in 2024.
Comments