Jeff Hafley - Football Coach - Boston College Athletics

Football head coach Jeff Hafley meets with the media.

Photo by: John Quackenbos

Jeff Hafley

Title:
The Gregory P. Barber '69 and Family Head Coach
Email:
bc.football@bc.edu
Phone:
552-3010

Jeff Hafley, who completed his fourth season at the helm of the Eagles in 2023, was introduced as The Gregory P. Barber '69 and Family Head Coach of the Boston College football program on Dec. 14, 2019.

Boston College overcame a 1-3 start with a five-game win streak, the first by the program since 2010, to reach bowl eligibility. The Eagles finished the year 7-6, capped off by a 23-14 win over No. 17/24 SMU in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.

In 2022, Hafley and the Eagles picked up the program’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2018 and first over an AP-ranked opponent since 2014 when BC upset No. 16 NC State on the road. The season was highlighted by wide receiver Zay Flowers rewriting the Boston College record book. Flowers set BC single-season and career records in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Flowers became the fourth All-American under Hafley as he earned recognition from the Associated Press. He also led the Eagles’ seven-player All-ACC contingent as a first-team selection.

One of college football’s top defensive minds, Hafley's defense ranked third nationally in passing yards allowed (173.5 per game) during the 2021 season. The Eagles were also top-30 nationally in six other defensive categories: total defense, red zone defense, first downs allowed, third down percentage, team passing efficiency, and defensive touchdowns. His disciplined squad led the ACC in fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards.

A total of 12 Eagles were All-ACC selections, led by First Team offensive linemen Zion Johnson and Alec Lindstrom. Johnson was named to seven different All-America teams and was selected 17th overall in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, becoming the 21st first round pick in school history.

Following the spring schedule, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) recognized Hafley with the Super 11 Coach of the Year Award for outstanding media access to his program.

In his first season on the Heights in 2020, Hafley finished with the most victories of any first-year head coach in college football.

More impressive than the marked improvement on both sides of the ball from Boston College in 2020 was how the program handled playing in the COVID-19 pandemic. BC’s team had just one positive COVID-19 result in over 9,000 administered tests since the team returned to campus in June of 2020.

Hafley helped improve BC's defense 52 spots in the national rankings in total defense as the Eagles allowed 62 fewer yards per game than the previous year, prior to his arrival. Isaiah McDuffie ranked fifth nationally in total tackles while Max Richardson ended the season 11th as Boston College was one of two schools in the entire country with two players finishing in the top 11 in tackles.

Nine Eagles were named All-ACC in 2020, including the first wide receiver to be named All-ACC First Team in Zay Flowers since 2012.

Tight end Hunter Long was named a Second Team All-American by multiple outlets as he led all tight ends nationally in receptions and finished the year second in receptions.

Prior to taking over as head coach at Boston College, Hafley led a dramatic turnaround in leading the defense for Ohio State as the Buckeyes won the 2019 Big Ten Championship and qualified for the College Football Playoff.

A finalist for the Frank Broyles Award and the 247 Sports Defensive Coordinator of the Year, Hafley was one of the architects of a Buckeye defense that ranked first nationally in yards per play, second nationally in total defense, third nationally in scoring defense, third nationally in sacks, seventh nationally in rushing defense, second nationally in passing yards allowed and first nationally in red zone defense.

Hafley's first season in Columbus saw Ohio State jump from 72nd nationally in 2018 to leading the country in 2019 in yards per play.

A standout defensive backs coach throughout his career in the NFL and collegiate ranks, Hafley's work as the defensive backs coach at Ohio State led to impressive results. The Buckeyes totaled 15 interceptions in 2019, tied for ninth nationally, while allowing just 25 pass plays of 20+ yards.

Before arriving at Ohio State, Hafley spent the previous seven seasons in the NFL, the last three with the San Francisco 49ers as defensive backs coach.

Prior to his time with San Francisco, Hafley was the secondary coach for two seasons in Cleveland, the secondary/safeties coach with Tampa Bay in 2013 and a defensive backs assistant with the Buccaneers in 2012.

Hafley, who coached his 20th season in 2020, has extensive ties as an elite recruiter during his coaching stops at Pittsburgh and Rutgers. A native of Montvale, N.J., Hafley played four seasons as a wide receiver at Siena College from 1997-2000, graduating cum laude in 2001 with a degree in history.

He earned his master's degree from Albany in 2003.

His coaching career includes 11 seasons in collegiate football before a move to the NFL in 2012, and then seven subsequent seasons there. After starting his career working as running backs coach for one season (2001) at Worcester (Mass.) Polytechnic Institute, Hafley moved on to the University of Albany for four seasons as defensive assistant and defensive backs coach (2002-05).

He then coached at the University of Pittsburgh for five seasons (2006-10) where he worked under the direction of Dave Wannstedt and helped mentor Darrelle Revis into a Jim Thorpe Award finalist in 2006.

Hafley was a defensive assistant/cornerbacks coach in 2006-07 and was secondary coach from 2008-10.

One season as the defensive backs coach at Rutgers, working under Greg Schiano, followed his positions at Pittsburgh. The Scarlet Knights ranked ninth nationally in passing defense in his one season there, 2011. Hafley helped develop future NFL standout defensive backs Duron Harmon and Logan Ryan during his time in Piscataway.

Hafley moved on to the NFL following his year at Rutgers and coached two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, serving as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2012 and secondary/safeties coach in 2013.

Two seasons with the Cleveland Browns followed under coach Mike Pettine. In 2014, his second season with the Browns, the team led the NFL in opponent passer rating (74.1), opponent completion percentage (57.1) and passes defensed with 99, while ranking second in the league with 21 interceptions.

Three seasons as defensive backs coach with the San Francisco 49ers – 2016, 2017 and 2018 – preceded Hafley's position with the Buckeyes. He worked under Chip Kelly in 2016 and under Kyle Shanahan the final two seasons. In 2018, the 49ers ranked 11th in the league in passing defense. They were 14th in 2016 after ranking 27th in 2015, the year before Hafley arrived.

Hafley and his wife, Gina, have two daughters, Hope and Leah.

The Hafley File
Birthday: April 4, 1979
Hometown: Montvale, N.J.
High School: Pascack Hills
Alma Mater: Siena, 2001
Degree: History
Master's Degree: Albany, 2003
Family: Wife Gina; daughters Hope and Leah
Twitter: @CoachJeffHafley

Coaching Career
2020-present: Boston College (Head Coach)
2019: Ohio State (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary)
2016-18: San Francisco 49ers (Defensive Backs)
2014-15: Cleveland Browns (Defensive Backs)
2012-13: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Secondary/Safeties)
2011: Rutgers (Defensive Backs)
2008-10: Pitt (Defensive Backs)
2006-07: Pitt (Defensive Assistant)
2004-05: Albany (Defensive Backs)
2002-03: Albany (Defensive Assistant)
2001: Worcester Polytech (Running Backs)