Jeff Hafley came a bit out of left field considering the interviews that the Green Bay Packers conducted, but in his new defensive coordinator, Matt LaFleur has found a coach who knows how to field a productive defense and run a team.
That kind of experience should be valuable for Green Bay considering LaFleur’s additional responsibilities as offensive coordinator for the Packers. LaFleur put together one of the most explosive young offenses in the league in 2023, and now he has a defensive coordinator who he can trust to essentially be the head coach of Green Bay’s defense.
LaFleuer hired Hafley away from Boston College, where he was head coach for the past four seasons. BC isn’t necessarily known as a college football powerhouse these days, so in that regard, Hafley had put together a more than respectable program. He left Boston College with a 22-26 overall record, but the Eagles were bowl-eligible in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
More permanent to the Packers is Hafley’s abilities as a defensive coach. In 2021, his Boston College defense was ranked No. 3 in all of college football in passing yards allowed. He was also the co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach at Ohio State in 2019, where his defense was ranked No. 1 in the nation in yards allowed per play, No. 2 in total defense and No. 3 in scoring defense. That season, he was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award, which annually goes to the best assistant in college football. He was also named Defensive Coordinator of the Year by 247Sports.
Hafley has been a strong defensive coach at the college level, but LaFleur may have also been impressed by his NFL resume.
Hafley was the defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 2016-2018 and held the same position with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 and 2015. He broke into the league in 2012 as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 and worked his way up to being the secondary/safeties coach in 2013.
Hafley first got into the coaching profession in 2001 at Worcester Polytechnic. He also had stints at Albany, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers as a college assistant.
From Montvale, N.J., Hafley is 44 years old — the same age as LaFleur.
