A new era in Miami has begun. Earlier today, the Miami Dolphins hit the reset button on by hiring former Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their new head coach. Another NFL dub for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The 46-year-old defensive specialist is coming straight from a two-year stint as the DC for the Green Bay Packers. Word around the country is this is has to be the fastest head coach hire of all time in the NFL.

It didn’t take the Miami no more than 11 days from start to finish. After firing Mike McDaniel on January 8, following a disappointing 7–10 season, the Dolphins’ front office interviewed eight different candidates before settling on the former Buckeyes DC.

Hafley reportedly “blew everyone away” during his interviews, and even though he’s a first-time NFL head coach, his four years leading Boston College gave the Dolphins the benefit of the doubt to hand him the key to the city.

Hafley is walking into a bit of a fixer-upper in Miami. The team is currently facing a massive financial headache, projected to be about $30 million over the salary cap before they even make any moves. He’s also inheriting a roster with major question marks at the most important positions. For example, star wideout Tyreek Hill is dealing with a serious knee injury, and there are rumblings that the team might have to cut him or restructure his massive contract just to stay afloat.

The biggest drama, though, is at quarterback. Their 2025 QB1, Tua Tagovailoa, had a bit of a down year. The former Bama QB led the league in picks (15) before getting benched in favor of once-a-Buckeye-QB-for-a-week Quinn Ewers in the final part of the season.

Although Tua has opened up about being ready for a fair shot elsewhere. But his contract is a bit of a nightmare that will probably cost the Dolphins tons of money. We are talking about a record-breaking $99 million in dead money. The former Buckeye DC’s first big job will be deciding if he wants to fix and mend things with Tua or go all-in on Ewers.

One thing you can expect from him is his ‘hair on fire’ approach. He’s a big fan of a 4-3 defensive front and aggressive man-to-man coverage, which is a pretty big shift from the zone-heavy schemes Miami has been running lately.

With the No. 11 overall pick in the upcoming draft, Hafley and Sullivan are expected to focus on rebuilding the trenches. The goal for 2026 is all about ending that brutal 25-year playoff win drought. The longest one in today’s NFL.

Not going to lie, by the looks of the schedule and uncertainty across the program, it’s going to be one heck of a tough climb next season. Nonetheless, but Dolphins are putting their faith in the Ohio State man to take them to their glory days.

However, it wouldn’t be possible without his in Columbus.

The Columbus is the place where it all began.

Before taking the head coach gig, Jeff Hafley his built a reputation as a defensive mastermind through more or less two decades of coaching. He spent seven years as an NFL secondary coach for teams like the 49ers and Browns before a pivotal return to the college ranks. His career reached a turning point when he took over the Boston College program as head coach from 2020 to 2023, eventually returning to the NFL to coordinate a top-tier Green Bay Packers defense in 2024 and 2025.

His single season at Ohio State in 2019 is the ‘launchpad’ for his head coaching career. Serving as the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach, Hafley orchestrated one of the most dramatic defensive turnarounds in college football history. Under his watch, the Buckeyes’ defense rocketed from 72nd in the nation to No. 1 overall in total defense. Also, allowing just  259.7 yards per game and leading the country in yards allowed per play.

Hafley’s “press-man” scheme in Columbus turned the Buckeyes into a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks, ranking No. 1 in passing defense by allowing only 156 yards per game. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award.

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The trophy for nation’s top assistant coach. He had us believe Jeff Okudah will be one of the best players in the NFL. It’s only a matter of time before you see wins coming for the Miami, hopefully.