Boston College Athletics
BC Ready To Work With New Head Coach
December 15, 2019 | Football, #ForBoston Files
It was hard to contain the excitement minutes after finding out.
After every practice, a football team gathers at midfield to listen to its head coach. The school circle enables an immediate feedback for the sweaty, battered warriors and usually provides the first glimpse into if the team reached its objectives for the day. It's an intimate moment for the players because it's a raw moment with a coach before analytics and film introduce scientific approaches.
On Saturday, Boston College gathered at midfield for its usual exercise, but it wasn't interim head coach Rich Gunnell initially addressing the team. Athletic director Martin Jarmond stood before the team and announced news widely known outside the Fish Field House's practice walls.
The Eagles had a new head football coach: Jeff Hafley, the co-defensive coordinator of Ohio State.
"I've heard great things about him," said Gunnell. "He's developed a lot of guys (that went to the NFL), and he's the co-defensive coordinator under (Ohio State head coach Ryan Day), who was my receivers coach.
"I have not (yet) had a conversation with Coach Hafley," he said. "I met him about a year ago, on the road, recruiting, so I don't know him really well. I would love to introduce myself and welcome him to BC."
The announcement was the zenith of a rapid, crescendo build beneath the surface and behind the scenes. The official word came on Saturday during ESPN's College GameDay program, less than 12 hours after multiple sources reported the news in the darkness of a rainy Boston night. It caused an immediate, frenzied social media explosion and provided a delirious backdrop to the start of the weekend. It drew instantaneous praise and created a rush of excitement.
"Jeff Hafley was someone we targeted from the outset," Jarmond said in a statement. "Jeff's shown throughout his coaching career, he is a tremendous leader with high integrity and a gift for teaching. His passion, leadership and ability to recruit and develop student-athletes make him the right fit to lead Boston College to greater heights on and off the field."
It's just that none of the players knew anything about it. They were on the field, so nobody had an opportunity to respond before meeting the media. It provided a raw insight into the players' emotions, all of which included a mix of optimism and impatience built by a readiness to work with their new head coach.
"They just got the news when they came off the practice field," Gunnell said. "They were trying to take it in. I'm sure their excitement will build back up."
There's a special connection for BC in hiring Hafley because he's linked to the Northeast as both a native and coach. He grew up in New Jersey and went to college at Siena College, beginning his coaching career in Massachusetts at Worcester Polytechnic Institute before going back to Albany. He eventually found his way to Pittsburgh as the secondary coach under Dave Wannstedt. Five years later, he returned to the Garden State to serve in the same position under Greg Schiano at Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights won nine games that year, drawing Schiano to the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hafley followed him as the secondary coach for the next two seasons before transitioning to San Francisco's staff for both Chip Kelly and Kyle Shanahan. This season was his first back in college.
Hafley's stops formulated a reputation for building Super Bowl-ready talent. At Pittsburgh, Darelle Revis became a Jim Thorpe Award finalist in 2006, and the two later reunited in Tampa Bay. On Saturday, the future Hall-of-Fame defensive back endorsed the hire with support for his former coach.
At Rutgers, meanwhile, Hafley served as position coach for Duron Harmon and Logan Ryan. Both won Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots, with Harmon winning three Lombardi Trophy games.
In the NFL, Hafley's secondary in Cleveland was elite and elevated the Browns defense to a top ten unit in 2014 before the coach moved onto San Francisco to work with both Chip Kelly and Kyle Shanahan.
"As a defensive back, you always want to get better," Brandon Sebastian said. "(Coach Hafley's) coached NFL (players) like Richard Sherman. We're going to see and get to work. He seems like he's a good coach, and we're just ready to work for him."
Hafley will remain at Ohio State through the end of the College Football Playoff after helping the No. 2 Buckeyes clinch the Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes, who play Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal, led the nation this year with a second-ranked defense and third-ranked scoring unit. They didn't allow an opponent more than 27 points in a single game this season, jumping to No. 1 nationally in yards per play with a ball-hawking secondary that created 15 interceptions on the season. Defensive end Chase Young became a Heisman Trophy finalist in Ohio State's scheme with 16.5 sacks, seven of which came in key regular season games against Wisconsin and Penn State.
A nationally-recognized recruiter, Hafley was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the best assistant coach in college football. He entered the coaching carousel as one of the hottest names, a sought-after candidate on virtually every analyst's list. That's why the shockwave reverberated so far beyond New England when he landed in Chestnut Hill with the official word on Saturday morning.
"I talked to a few of my buddies at Ohio State," said quarterback Dennis Grosel, an Ohio native. "They all had positive things to say, no negative things. An exciting, energetic guy that I'm looking forward to, and they all love him. There were some pretty positive things to hear."
Hafley will be introduced to the Boston media on Monday morning at 9 a.m. The press conference will be carried live on ACC Network's Packer and Durham program, as well as Boston College's social media pages and platforms.
On Saturday, Boston College gathered at midfield for its usual exercise, but it wasn't interim head coach Rich Gunnell initially addressing the team. Athletic director Martin Jarmond stood before the team and announced news widely known outside the Fish Field House's practice walls.
The Eagles had a new head football coach: Jeff Hafley, the co-defensive coordinator of Ohio State.
"I've heard great things about him," said Gunnell. "He's developed a lot of guys (that went to the NFL), and he's the co-defensive coordinator under (Ohio State head coach Ryan Day), who was my receivers coach.
"I have not (yet) had a conversation with Coach Hafley," he said. "I met him about a year ago, on the road, recruiting, so I don't know him really well. I would love to introduce myself and welcome him to BC."
The announcement was the zenith of a rapid, crescendo build beneath the surface and behind the scenes. The official word came on Saturday during ESPN's College GameDay program, less than 12 hours after multiple sources reported the news in the darkness of a rainy Boston night. It caused an immediate, frenzied social media explosion and provided a delirious backdrop to the start of the weekend. It drew instantaneous praise and created a rush of excitement.
"Jeff Hafley was someone we targeted from the outset," Jarmond said in a statement. "Jeff's shown throughout his coaching career, he is a tremendous leader with high integrity and a gift for teaching. His passion, leadership and ability to recruit and develop student-athletes make him the right fit to lead Boston College to greater heights on and off the field."
It's just that none of the players knew anything about it. They were on the field, so nobody had an opportunity to respond before meeting the media. It provided a raw insight into the players' emotions, all of which included a mix of optimism and impatience built by a readiness to work with their new head coach.
"They just got the news when they came off the practice field," Gunnell said. "They were trying to take it in. I'm sure their excitement will build back up."
There's a special connection for BC in hiring Hafley because he's linked to the Northeast as both a native and coach. He grew up in New Jersey and went to college at Siena College, beginning his coaching career in Massachusetts at Worcester Polytechnic Institute before going back to Albany. He eventually found his way to Pittsburgh as the secondary coach under Dave Wannstedt. Five years later, he returned to the Garden State to serve in the same position under Greg Schiano at Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights won nine games that year, drawing Schiano to the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hafley followed him as the secondary coach for the next two seasons before transitioning to San Francisco's staff for both Chip Kelly and Kyle Shanahan. This season was his first back in college.
Hafley's stops formulated a reputation for building Super Bowl-ready talent. At Pittsburgh, Darelle Revis became a Jim Thorpe Award finalist in 2006, and the two later reunited in Tampa Bay. On Saturday, the future Hall-of-Fame defensive back endorsed the hire with support for his former coach.
At Rutgers, meanwhile, Hafley served as position coach for Duron Harmon and Logan Ryan. Both won Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots, with Harmon winning three Lombardi Trophy games.
In the NFL, Hafley's secondary in Cleveland was elite and elevated the Browns defense to a top ten unit in 2014 before the coach moved onto San Francisco to work with both Chip Kelly and Kyle Shanahan.
"As a defensive back, you always want to get better," Brandon Sebastian said. "(Coach Hafley's) coached NFL (players) like Richard Sherman. We're going to see and get to work. He seems like he's a good coach, and we're just ready to work for him."
Hafley will remain at Ohio State through the end of the College Football Playoff after helping the No. 2 Buckeyes clinch the Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes, who play Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal, led the nation this year with a second-ranked defense and third-ranked scoring unit. They didn't allow an opponent more than 27 points in a single game this season, jumping to No. 1 nationally in yards per play with a ball-hawking secondary that created 15 interceptions on the season. Defensive end Chase Young became a Heisman Trophy finalist in Ohio State's scheme with 16.5 sacks, seven of which came in key regular season games against Wisconsin and Penn State.
A nationally-recognized recruiter, Hafley was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the best assistant coach in college football. He entered the coaching carousel as one of the hottest names, a sought-after candidate on virtually every analyst's list. That's why the shockwave reverberated so far beyond New England when he landed in Chestnut Hill with the official word on Saturday morning.
"I talked to a few of my buddies at Ohio State," said quarterback Dennis Grosel, an Ohio native. "They all had positive things to say, no negative things. An exciting, energetic guy that I'm looking forward to, and they all love him. There were some pretty positive things to hear."
Hafley will be introduced to the Boston media on Monday morning at 9 a.m. The press conference will be carried live on ACC Network's Packer and Durham program, as well as Boston College's social media pages and platforms.
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