To take over for, the Packers have hired a new defensive coordinator.
Jeff Hafley has been named the defensive coordinator by the Green Bay Packers.
The statement was released on Wednesday by head coach Matt LaFleur.”We’re thrilled to have Jeff, his wife Gina, and their daughters Hope and Leah join the Green Bay Packers and the community,” LaFleur continued.
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.
Hafley joins the Packers after serving as Boston College’s head coach for the previous four seasons (2020–23), during which he helped the Eagles qualify for bowl games in three of those seasons.
The defence finished in the top 30 nationally in 2021 in terms of total defence, red-zone defence, first downs allowed, third-down %, defensive touchdowns, and team passing efficiency. In 2021, the defence led the country in passing yards allowed (173.5 per game).
In terms of fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards, the Eagles also dominated the ACC. Hafley was Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach in 2019 before to joining BC. He was a finalist for both the 247 Sports Defensive Coordinator of the Year and the Frank Broyles Award during his one season in Columbus.
Hafley contributed to the Buckeye defense’s national rankings of No. 1 in yards per play, No. 2 in passing yards allowed and overall defence, No. 3 in sacks and scoring defence, No. 7 in rushing defence, and No. 1 in red zone defence.
The Buckeyes allowed just 25 pass plays of 20 yards or more in 2019, and they tied for ninth in the country with 15 interceptions. Hafley worked as an assistant coach in the NFL for seven seasons before to joining Ohio State. The product of Montvale, New Jersey, served as the defensive backs coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2014 to 2015 and the San Francisco 49ers from 2016 to 2018.
The 49ers were No. 14 in 2016 after ranking No. 27 the year before Hafley arrived, and they were No. 11 in the NFL in 2018 in terms of passing defence. In 2012, he was hired by Tampa Bay as an assistant defensive backs coach. The following year, he was hired as the Buccaneers’ secondary/safeties coach. Hafley played 11 seasons in the NFL before moving to the NFL.
He began his career at Worcester (Mass.) Polytechnic Institute as the running backs coach. From 2002 to 2005, he worked as a defensive assistant and defensive backs coach at the University of Albany. Following that, Hafley spent five seasons (2006–10) as a coach in Pittsburgh, where he collaborated with Darrelle Revis, a 2006 Jim Thorpe Award finalist who would go on to become a Hall of Fame player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 2006–07, Hafley coached cornerbacks and served as a defensive assistant. From 2008–10, he served as a secondary coach. He coached defensive backs for one season (2011) at Rutgers, where he helped the Scarlet Knights become the ninth-best passing defence in the country. Hafley attended Rutgers, where he assisted in the development of future NFL star defensive backs Duron Harmon and Logan Ryan.
