Boston College Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley made the surprising move to leave the school to become the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. This puts the school in an awkward position to quickly find a new head coach going into February.
Despite this, there are some impressive candidates who can jump in and take over the position immediately and help the team build on a 7-6 season in 2023.
Top 5 Candidates for Boston College
Rob Chudzinski (Current Job: Associate Head Coach for Offense/Offensive Development at Boston College)
The Eagles will be looking within their coaching staff in their search, with one potential candidate boasting head coach experience. Associate head coach of offense Rob Chudzinski was a head coach for one season with the Cleveland Browns, going 4-12 in his lone season.
Chudzinksi has also been an offensive coordinator at the college and pro level and has been with Boston College since 2020, playing a big role on the coaching staff helping their offense. Promoting a coach with experience and familiarity with the program makes him an ideal candidate for the job.
Steve Shimko (Current Job: Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach for Boston College)
While 33-year-old offensive coordinator Steve Shimko has yet to be a head coach, he has moved up quickly within the Boston College coaching staff. Shimko started as a tight ends coach in 2020, moved to QB coach in 2022, and last season was his first as OC. The Eagles’ offense improved from last in the ACC in total offense (310.3) in 2022 to eighth (380.8) in 2023.
It would be a risk to bring in a younger coach to take over the program, but Shimko has already earned the respect of his offense and showed great growth in his first year. Promoting a young, innovative mind as a head coach could spark some excitement within the program.
Scot Loeffler (Current Job: Head Coach for Bowling Green)
The Bowling Green Falcons have gone through some growing pains since Scot Loeffler took over as head coach in 2019, but the team has turned it around over the last two seasons. Last year, Loeffler led the team to a winning record at 7-6, and the team has made a bowl game in two straight seasons.
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Loeffler had success as Boston College’s offensive coordinator from 2016 through 2018, which led to him landing the Bowling Green job. His work with a struggling Falcons team could be enough for Boston College to bring him back and keep them on the right path.
Don Brown (Current Job: Head Coach for UMass)
The UMass football program was dominant with Dom Brown at the helm from 2004 through 2008, with two trips to the FCS playoffs and an appearance in the national title game. Brown rejoined the program in 2022 to help the team get back on track as they had struggled on the FBS level. The team went from 1-11 in Brown’s first season in 2022 to 3-9 last season.
From 2013 through 2015, Brown was the defensive coordinator for Boston College before moving on to the same role with the Michigan Wolverines. It would be a smooth move because Brown already lives in Massachusetts and is familiar with Boston College. Brown’s experience and success as a head coach could help with the transition period for the Eagles.
Zach Arnett (Previous Job: Head Coach for Mississippi State)
Although Zach Arnett’s time at Mississippi State was short, he had the almost impossible task of being the team’s interim head coach after the passing of Mike Leach in 2022 before taking over the role full-time in 2023. The Bulldogs went 4-6 under Arnett before the team moved in a different direction.
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Arnett has shown a lot of promise in his coaching career and the 37-year-old has never really had a fair shot at the head of a program. Boston College could bring him in even though he’s a bit of a wildcard for the job.
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