Boston College Hires Jeff Hafley as New Head Coach

Boston College has hired Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as its next head coach.

AP/Shutterstock

Boston College has hired Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as its new football coach, the school announced Saturday.

"Jeff Hafley was someone we targeted from the outset and we could not be happier to welcome Jeff, Gina, Hope and Leah to Boston College," director of athletics Martin Jarmond said in a statement. "Jeff's shown throughout his coaching career he is a tremendous leader with high integrity and a gift for teaching. His passion, leadership and ability to recruit and develop student-athletes make him the right fit to lead Boston College to greater heights on and off the field."

Hafley joined the Buckeyes this season and led OSU to the No. 2 unit in total defense, a year after it finished No. 72. The major improvement helped land Hafley among the finalists for the Broyles Award for top college assistant coach.

The 40-year-old Hafley is a New Jersey native and developed a reputation as a top-notch recruiter at schools like Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Albany. Before joining the Buckeyes, Hafley spent seven seasons in the NFL as a defensive backs coach, working for the 49ers, Browns and Buccaneers.

Hafley replaces Steve Addazio, who was fired on Dec. 1, following a 44-44 tenure in seven seasons with the Eagles.

Hafley will stay with the Buckeyes through the end of the season. No. 2 Ohio State plays No. 3 Clemson on Dec. 28 in the College Football Playoff semifinals.