Around 25 D1 programs have changed head coaches or are looking for a new face. The head coaching market is slimmer than ever, and programs are increasingly turning to OCs and DCs to fill the vacancies. Now, a top program like Penn State is also doing the same, going in the NFL circles as no major coach has accepted the Nittany Lions’ offer yet. PSU is after a coach who outright bid adieu to college ball in 2023 after getting annoyed with the new CFB world.

According to reports, the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley’s name has emerged as a contender for the Penn State job.

“Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has also popped up in some conversations,” reported ON3’s Pete Nakos.

Hafley has been the Packers’ defensive coordinator since 2024 and last coached college football in 2023 when he was Boston College’s head coach. But why come back to college ball after Hafley resigned outright to accept a DC job in the NFL?

Hafley resigned from the Boston College job after accumulating a 22-26 record. The move shocked many, and his inaugural press conference at the Packers was filled with questions regarding the same. The 46-year-old outlined how college football has changed with NIL, the transfer portal, and fundraising, among other things. For him, being a head coach in college was a GM job now, but he always wanted to “coach” nothing more than that.

“Now that I’m the ‘general manager’ and you’re trying to manage ‘the cap’ and you don’t really know what the cap is, and now you’re fundraising. I mean, I want to coach football. I want to coach more defense than I did last year, and now it’s just prioritizing again,” said Hafley to CBS Sports’ Adam Breneman in 2024. In Hafley’s words, he just wanted to coach “DBs” and was “figuring out” how to do just that during his Boston College stint. But can he make an exception now for a blue-chip program like Penn State?

College Football hasn’t been the same ever since Jeff Hafley departed from Boston College in 2023. We have seen programs hiring GMs, and that too, expensive ones, to manage the extra workload that shouldn’t get in the way of coaching. UNC did that after Belichick was hired and offered Michael Lombardi a salary of $1.5 million. The Louisville Cardinals have Vince Marrow to do the same and is earning close to $1.1 million. The same can be said about Mark Pantoni at Ohio State, who is on a $900,000 per year salary. Can all of it bring back Jeff Hafley to college football at Penn State?

Why won’t Jeff Hafley accept the Penn State job?

Before becoming the head coach of Boston College, Jeff Hafley was the co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2019. And the defense in that season was spectacular. Ohio State was ranked 1st in total defense, giving away just 259.7 yards per game. The rushing defense was ninth in the country. Whereas, Ohio State was highest (65%) in limiting red zone conversions. The result?

Ryan Day, in just his first season, finished undefeated and won the Big 10 championship. So, we can surely see Penn State do the same under Hafley’s helm. Still, since Penn State isn’t sure about the Montvale, New Jersey native, there are other names in the mix, too. “Sources have told On3 that some new names have emerged. Iowa State’s Matt Campbell has always been mentioned as a possible option, and he’s emerged as a name of note in the last 48 hours,” reported Pete Nakos.

Apart from Matt Campbell, interim head coach Terry Smith’s name is still at the top, and former NY Giants head coach Brian Daboll is also in the mix. It remains to be seen, however, if both accept the Nittany Lions job or not. As for Jeff Hafley? It’s quite difficult for the head coach to accept the job. For one, despite GMs overtaking some head coaching duties like recruiting, fundraising, and NIL initiatives. The responsibility always falls on the head coach if something goes wrong. That reason alone should deter Hafley from accepting the Nittany Lions’ job.

Still, getting paid in $7-8 million per year figures always looks tempting. That’s far more than what typical DCs and OCs earn in the NFL. The decision then looks tougher than ever for Jeff Hafley.