Packers hire Boston College's Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator

The Green Bay Packers hired Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator on Wednesday.

Hafley, 44, was a defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012-13), Cleveland Browns (2014-15) and San Francisco 49ers (2016-18) before his second stint in the college ranks.

"We are excited to welcome Jeff, his wife, Gina, and their daughters, Hope and Leah, to the Packers and the Green Bay community," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said in a statement. "Jeff has had success at every stop of his coaching career with an impressive track record of developing players at every level. We look forward to him leading our defense."

Hafley was co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Ohio State in 2019, when the Buckeyes had one of the top defenses in the nation in several statistical categories. He was a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award as the top assistant football coach in NCAA Division I.

Hafley was 22-26 in four seasons at Boston College, going 7-6 in 2023, including a win over No. 22 SMU in the Fenway Bowl.

"I loved my four years at Boston College," Hafley said in a statement released by Boston College. "This is an exceptional place to coach given the caliber of student-athletes we recruit, the facilities, and the support from the University and BC fans. I will miss the players who gave so much of themselves these past four years, and my wife Gina and I will certainly miss the BC community and the many friends we have made here."

Hafley coached at the college level from 2001-11 before his NFL coaching experience.

In replacing the fired Joe Barry, Hafley becomes the third different defensive coordinator as LaFleur enters his sixth season as Packers head coach.

—Field Level Media