Breaking: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign a coach from the Georgia Bulldogs, “yet another college defection,”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added another coach from the college ranks to their staff for the 2024 season. The NFL has seen an abnormal influx of college coaches to the NFL in the coaching carousel this winter.

Jeff Hafley’s departure from Boston College as head coach to take a position as defensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers this offseason was one of the greatest shakeups in the coaching staff this offseason. Pete Thamel of ESPN reports that Hafley departed due to the present condition of collegiate football and the NIL:

“[Hafley] wants to go coach football again in a league that is all about football,” a source told ESPN. “College coaching has become fundraising, NIL and recruiting your own team and transfers. There’s no time to coach football anymore.

“A lot of things that he went back to college for have disappeared.”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired away a Georgia coach

This offseason, the Buccaneers are capitalizing on problems in college football. They hired Brian Picucci, a Kentucky native, as the offensive line coach, and Liam Coen, a Kentucky native, as the offensive coordinator.

In what Adam Schefter of ESPN describes as “another college deflection,” the Buccaneers hired Georgia’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator away on Saturday to serve as the wide receivers coach in Tampa Bay.

After playing for the Chicago Bears in 2006, the former Georgia wide receiver left the league. Since the 2007 campaign, McClendon has served as a college football coach.

McClendon’s attempt to succeed in the NFL cannot be blamed. It’s interesting to note that in a new and competitive coaching market, NFL coaches like Bill O’Brien, who was let go by the New England Patriots in January, are taking college jobs instead of getting hired by the NFL. After initially accepting the position of offensive coordinator at Ohio State, O’Brien finally succeeded Hafley as Boston College’s head coach.