Jeff Hafley resigned as head coach of the Boston College Eagles to become the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday night.

The move came as a surprise but according to sources, Hafley had been pondering a move to the NFL for weeks.

Now Boston College athletic director Blake James needs to move fast to find his replacement. James announced last night that the school will begin a national search for Hafley’s replacement.

Armed with a relatively new indoor facility, playing in a Power 4 conference and a coaching salary that could average $3-5 million per season depending on the coach, Boston College could be an attractive job.

Here some names as potential replacements. 

Al Washington, Defensive run game coordinator/defensive line, Notre Dame: Washington played and coached at Boston College and has recruiting ties in the region. The 39 year old Washington is young, energetic and passionate. He is relatable and would get a lot out of the players. As an alumnus, he could connect with the alumni and be able to find raise. He checks off several boxes. Washington is on athletic director Blake James short list and probably the early favorite. Washington has finished in the top 10 of 247Sports’ recruiter rankings in two of the last three years. 

Liam Coen, offensive coordinator. Kentucky: Coen played at UMass and is from West Warwick, Rhode Island. He has coached at UMass, Maine, URI, the Los Angeles Rams where he was Sean McVay’s offensive coordinator in 2022 and Kentucky. He is well versed in the Shanahan, McVay system and would be an appealing hire because he is an offensive coach and has local and national recruiting ties.

Rob Chudzinski, offensive assistant, B.C: Chudzinski is on staff already and has the type of resume that would appeal to the administration at Boston College. He played at the University of Miami and was also the Hurricanes offensive coordinator for a long time before a successful career in the NFL as an offensive coordinator. Chudzinski was head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2013. Chudzinski could be named the interim head coach until a permanent coach is hired. Until then, he is considered a strong candidate for the job.

David Shaw, FMR Stanford Head Coach: Shaw is the former Stanford coach. He had great success in Palo Alto but needed a break so he stepped away after the 2022 season. Shaw has been interviewing for NFL head coaching openings this off-season and has expressed an interest in coaching again. I am not sure he would move to the east coast however. 

Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator: Flores played at Boston College and has extensive NFL experience with the Patriots where he won four Super Bowls. He has also been the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, linebackers coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and he is currently the defensive coordinator for the Vikings. Flores has no college experience and given the current landscape of college football, I am not sure he leaves the NFL to return to his alma mater. 

Mike Bloomgren, Head Coach, Rice: Bloomgren has had good success at Rice, which is an academic school like Boston College. He has coached under David Shaw at Stanford and believes in a physical brand of football that would be a good fit at Boston College. Getting a coach who is currently the head coach at another school would be a long shot but Bloomgren is one coach to keep an eye on. He could be a good long term fit if James pursues him.

Ricky Rahne, Head Coach, Old Dominion: Rahne has done a tremendous job at OD, turning the program from an FBS newbie to a bowl contender. Rahne has also coached at Penn State and has recruiting ties in the northeast. He is an offensive coach with a quarterbacks back ground so that could make him an appealing candidate. 

Bill O’Brien, Ohio State offensive coordinator: Forget about the 2023 season with the Patriots. O’Brien is a good coach and has had success as a head coach both at Penn State (15-9) and with the Houston Texans. The Andover, Mass native returned to New England to be closer to family and watch his son pitch at Tufts so while he’s moved onto Ohio State, the Boston College opening may appeal to him and bring him back to New England. 

Dan Mullen, TV analyst: The New Hampshire native had successful stints at Mississippi State and Florida. He has also been a successful offensive coordinator and developer of quarterbacks. Mullen doesn’t have a ton of recruiting ties to the area but that doesn’t matter these days. He has name cache and would be a big time hire for James and the administration if they could make it happen. 

Kyle Flood, OC/OL, Texas: Flood has northeast ties having coached at Rutgers from 2005 to 2015. He was the head coach from 2012-2015. He has also coached in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and he coached under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2019 to 2020. He has been at Texas with Steve Sarkisian the past two seasons. Flood is an under the radar candidate but one who makes sense because he wants to play a physical brand of football and he has an offensive background.

Bob Chesney, Head Coach James Madison: The former Holy Cross coach is an added bonus. His name has been linked to the job for the past two years so I feel obliged to add him as an additional candidate. Sources close to Chesney say he is not interested but if the money is right, you never know.