Boston College Athletics
2020 Spring Practice: Abdul-Rahim Relishing "New Chapter In My Development"
March 05, 2020 | Football, #ForBoston Files
The new DBs coach is both a teacher and a student under head coach Jeff Hafley.
In every sport, assistant coaches are always learning. Players and analysts consider them subject matter experts for their respective position grouping or discipline, but their job requires a buy-in to a head coach. They educate athletes according to a style of play adopted and implemented through their boss.
At Boston College, working for head coach Jeff Hafley especially fosters the innovation and coeducation among coaches. They're encouraged to research and learn new football ideas to share among a bigger group. For defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, that meant an opportunity too good to pass up.
"This is a new chapter in my development," Abdul-Rahim said. "I'm just happy to be here. Off the field, I've been more impressed with Coach Hafley because of who he is as a person. He's a humble individual, even though he's also a great defensive backs coach. He doesn't force his beliefs on me, and he wants to get input. He's an assertive leader who puts others before himself."
Abdul-Rahim is in an especially-advantageous position. He started out in power conference football by becoming a defensive analyst for Alabama in 2014. He shifted the next year into administration as the assistant director of player personnel, walking away from Tuscaloosa with a national championship after the Crimson Tide defeated Clemson to win the 2015 college football title.Â
It began a fast journey up the college football ladder. Abdul-Rahim moved from Alabama to Maryland for the 2016 season, coaching the defensive backs and cornerbacks over the next three seasons. Over that time, the Terrapins became a ball-hawking turnover machine, posting 10 picks of opposing quarterbacks during the 2017 season. After that season, defensive back J.C. Jackson turned pro, going undrafted but becoming a hidden gem on the Super Bowl LIII champion New England Patriots.
"I truly feel defensive backs, in high school, are positional," Abdul-Rahim said. "The position has become so diverse, so it's difficult to find skill sets in every type. Speed is incredibly important as a critical factor. Competitiveness and toughness are important as well. Those are three non-negotiable things for corners."
Abdul-Rahim's performance didn't limit to on-field exploits, though. His reputation as a recruiter grew in College Park, and he played a key role in Maryland's top-20 recruiting class in 2017. He followed it up with a top-30 class in 2018, signing 17 four-star student-athletes with eight members of the ESPN 300. In 2018, 247sports recognized him as one of the top recruiting assistant coaches in the Big Ten.
"Safeties are different," he explained. "We have down safeties, box safeties, and middle-of-the-field, downfield safeties. All three are different. The downfield safeties have to be more athletic but have an edge and toughness while understanding angles and instinct. You can find some instinct characteristics, but you can't have all corners or all safeties (in the defensive backfield).
"It's like a basketball team," he laughed. "I want some point guards, I want some (shooting guards) and I want some long threes to play corner or safety. I don't want any (power forwards) or big men. I need versatility. I want them all to be tough and competitive. A lot of times, you can't see that on tape, so you have to watch more tape, do some due diligence and things of that nature."
Nobody knew it at the time, but the performance also kept circling Boston College. In 2016, Abdul-Rahim's Terrapins went head-to-head with the Eagles in the Quick Lane Bowl. Last season, Massachusetts lured him away with his first coordinator position opportunity, but BC's Hafley hire in the offseason tantalized for possibilities, giving Abdul-Rahim the itch to come east down the Mass Pike.
"Selfishly, this puts me in the greatest position a defensive backs coach can be in," he said. "It's important to be around like-minded guys, but it's on a different level. I ask him more than what he pushes on me, but it's been a great experience so far."
Coaching for the Eagles isn't quite full-circle in a young career, but Abdul-Rahim is back in power conference football, readying an experienced, solid defensive backfield for the elite ACC quarterbacks. BC's turnover success is well-documented, but a new, fresh outlook is where this coaching staff expects to turn the unit's potential into a fearsome reality.
"I'm still getting familiar with the conference," Abdul-Rahim said. "I've never coached in (the ACC), so I'm not totally experienced with the quarterbacks. But you're dealing with QBs that are different and dynamic. It impacts all positions and every scheme of the defense. We want to be tough and smart, so discipline and detail will be important. Eye discipline is important in the back end; you can't just focus on your man."
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At Boston College, working for head coach Jeff Hafley especially fosters the innovation and coeducation among coaches. They're encouraged to research and learn new football ideas to share among a bigger group. For defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, that meant an opportunity too good to pass up.
"This is a new chapter in my development," Abdul-Rahim said. "I'm just happy to be here. Off the field, I've been more impressed with Coach Hafley because of who he is as a person. He's a humble individual, even though he's also a great defensive backs coach. He doesn't force his beliefs on me, and he wants to get input. He's an assertive leader who puts others before himself."
Abdul-Rahim is in an especially-advantageous position. He started out in power conference football by becoming a defensive analyst for Alabama in 2014. He shifted the next year into administration as the assistant director of player personnel, walking away from Tuscaloosa with a national championship after the Crimson Tide defeated Clemson to win the 2015 college football title.Â
It began a fast journey up the college football ladder. Abdul-Rahim moved from Alabama to Maryland for the 2016 season, coaching the defensive backs and cornerbacks over the next three seasons. Over that time, the Terrapins became a ball-hawking turnover machine, posting 10 picks of opposing quarterbacks during the 2017 season. After that season, defensive back J.C. Jackson turned pro, going undrafted but becoming a hidden gem on the Super Bowl LIII champion New England Patriots.
"I truly feel defensive backs, in high school, are positional," Abdul-Rahim said. "The position has become so diverse, so it's difficult to find skill sets in every type. Speed is incredibly important as a critical factor. Competitiveness and toughness are important as well. Those are three non-negotiable things for corners."
Abdul-Rahim's performance didn't limit to on-field exploits, though. His reputation as a recruiter grew in College Park, and he played a key role in Maryland's top-20 recruiting class in 2017. He followed it up with a top-30 class in 2018, signing 17 four-star student-athletes with eight members of the ESPN 300. In 2018, 247sports recognized him as one of the top recruiting assistant coaches in the Big Ten.
"Safeties are different," he explained. "We have down safeties, box safeties, and middle-of-the-field, downfield safeties. All three are different. The downfield safeties have to be more athletic but have an edge and toughness while understanding angles and instinct. You can find some instinct characteristics, but you can't have all corners or all safeties (in the defensive backfield).
"It's like a basketball team," he laughed. "I want some point guards, I want some (shooting guards) and I want some long threes to play corner or safety. I don't want any (power forwards) or big men. I need versatility. I want them all to be tough and competitive. A lot of times, you can't see that on tape, so you have to watch more tape, do some due diligence and things of that nature."
Nobody knew it at the time, but the performance also kept circling Boston College. In 2016, Abdul-Rahim's Terrapins went head-to-head with the Eagles in the Quick Lane Bowl. Last season, Massachusetts lured him away with his first coordinator position opportunity, but BC's Hafley hire in the offseason tantalized for possibilities, giving Abdul-Rahim the itch to come east down the Mass Pike.
"Selfishly, this puts me in the greatest position a defensive backs coach can be in," he said. "It's important to be around like-minded guys, but it's on a different level. I ask him more than what he pushes on me, but it's been a great experience so far."
Coaching for the Eagles isn't quite full-circle in a young career, but Abdul-Rahim is back in power conference football, readying an experienced, solid defensive backfield for the elite ACC quarterbacks. BC's turnover success is well-documented, but a new, fresh outlook is where this coaching staff expects to turn the unit's potential into a fearsome reality.
"I'm still getting familiar with the conference," Abdul-Rahim said. "I've never coached in (the ACC), so I'm not totally experienced with the quarterbacks. But you're dealing with QBs that are different and dynamic. It impacts all positions and every scheme of the defense. We want to be tough and smart, so discipline and detail will be important. Eye discipline is important in the back end; you can't just focus on your man."
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