HEADLINES

Richard Angulo

Jaguars Finalize Coaching Staff

February 8th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Ely Allen

The time has come for Liam Coen to finally lead an NFL staff as a head coach. The 39-year-old has been an extremely fast riser after getting his first NFL assistant position in 2018. His first NFL coordinator role came in 2022, and three years later, he’s a head coach. The Jaguars announced yesterday that he’s now completed the building of his first NFL staff in Jacksonville.

He started with the hirings of offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. Since then, we’ve been informed of the hiring of quarterbacks coach Spencer Whipple, passing game coordinator Shane Waldron, passing game specialist John Van Dam, defensive line coach Matt Edwards, defensive backs coach Anthony Perkins, and linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, as well as the retention of special teams coordinator Heath Farwell. Their new announcement clears up the rest of the open positions.

On offense, we recently saw Vikings assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett interview for the offensive line coaching job in Jacksonville, and his interview was a successful one. After one year in Chicago, Chad Morton joins the Jaguars as running backs coach. Before holding the same role with the Bears, Morton coached running backs in Seattle for seven years. It was announced earlier this week that Edgar Bennett would not be returning as wide receivers coach for the Raiders in 2025. Well, he has bounced back quickly, getting hired to the same position in Jacksonville.

Two familiar faces will remain on the offense with the Jaguars. Tight ends coach Richard Angulo and assistant wide receivers coach Tyler Tettleton will be retaining their roles with the team in 2025. Angulo has coached tight ends in Duval since 2022, while Tettleton has held his role for two seasons. Tettleton will add the title of passing game specialist to his role, as well.

On defense, we see Derrick LeBlanc join the staff as assistant defensive line coach. It was announced nearly two weeks ago that LeBlanc would not be returning as defensive line coach in Arizona, so he’ll take a step back in 2025 in an assistant role with the Jaguars. Kevin Wilkins has been hired as assistant linebackers coach. After being fired by the Giants last year, Wilkins spent 2024 as a defensive assistant for the University of Michigan. We saw earlier that Colts defensive backs coach Ron Milus would not be returning in 2025. He’ll stay in the AFC South, though, as the new secondary coach in Jacksonville.

Drew Lascari will make his debut as an NFL coach in 2025 as the team’s new assistant defensive backs coach. He’s spent the past seven years at Rutgers, coaching safeties in their last three seasons. One familiar face will be sticking around in Jacksonville on defense. Mario Jeberaeel was hired last year as assistant outside linebackers coach. He’s been retained in 2025, but will serve this year as a defensive assistant.

On special teams, being retained alongside Farwell will be assistant special teams coach Luke Thompson. Thompson will enter his fourth year in that role. Jay Kaiser has joined the staff as assistant to the head coach. It’s his first year with the Jaguars coming from the University of Illinois as director of college personnel and NFL liaison. Joining Kaiser in the role of assistant to the head coach will be ElizaBeth Harrison, who has held that role in Jacksonville for the past 16 years.

Thus concludes the hiring of the main positions of Coen’s first staff in Jacksonville. Some ancillary positions and other assistant roles remain to be filled out, but the main bones of the staff are now solidified.

AFC Coaching Notes: Chargers, Steelers, Jaguars

February 15th, 2022 at 10:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Al Golden is leaving Cincinnati after all. The Bengals coach is joining Notre Dame as their new defensive coordinator, reports ESPN’s Pete Thamel (on Twitter). Golden is inking a three-year deal with the school.

The 52-year-old had spent the past two seasons with the Bengals as the team’s linebackers coach. Following a successful 2021 season, Golden was expected to ink a new deal with Cincy. Instead, he’ll be heading back to the college ranks.

Golden spent almost two decades in the NCAA, including stints as head coach at Temple and Miami. He joined the NFL in 2016 when he was hired as the Lions tight ends coach, and he eventually switched over to the defensive side of the ball in 2018.

More coaching notes out of the AFC…

  • The Chargers are looking to hire Brendan Nugent as their offensive line coach, as Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com passes along. Frank Smith left to become the Dolphins offensive coordinator, leaving a vacancy on the LAC staff. Nugent had spent the past seven years with the Saints, earning the promotion to OL coach in 2021.
  • The Steelers have also been seeking a new OL coach, and Brooke Pryor of ESPN tweets that the team is hiring Pat Meyer for the role. Meyer spent the past two seasons as the Panthers offensive line coach, and he also served in that role with the Chargers. The 49-year-old has also had coaching stints with the Bills and Bears.
  • Richard Angulo is heading south. The Ravens assistant offensive line coach is joining the Jaguars as their new tight ends coach, reports Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). The former player had been coaching in Baltimore since 2014. Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets that the Jaguars have finalized deal with Deshea Townsend as defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach. Before his three-year stint as the Bears secondary coach, Townsend had stints on the Giants and Titans coaching staffs.
  • Nathaniel Hackett continues to add to his Broncos staff. According to Wilson (on Twitter), Denver has hired Ramon Chinyoung as an offensive quality control. Chinyoung had been serving as head football coach/athletic coordinator at Willowridge High in Houston. Meanwhile, the team announced (on Twitter) that they’ve hired Derek Haithcock as assistant to head coach (Dwight Schrute?) and John Vieira as instructional designer.
  • The Colts are finalizing a deal with Richard Smith to be their new linebackers coach, reports Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports in Indy (on Twitter). Smith has had a long NFL coaching career that saw him serve as the defensive coordinator with the Dolphins, Falcons, and Texans. He’s also been on the coaching staffs for the Oilers, Broncos, 49ers, Lions, Panthers, Chargers, and Raiders.
  • The Jets are adding Nathaniel Willingham as a defensive assistant, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). The son of former college coach Tyrone Willingham, Nathaniel Willingham worked at Stanford for four years before spending the past three seasons as a quality control coach with the Broncos.