Notre Dame football rival loses coach to NCAA's new reality

When Notre Dame football renews its rivalry with Boston College in the fall of 2025, there will be a new head coach on the opponent’s sidelines. That’s because the Golden Eagles current head coach just walked out the door. To become a defensive coordinator in the NFL.

B.C.’s Jeff Hafley is expected to become the Green Bay Packers’ new DC, according to Pete Thamel. No, Hafley wasn’t fired. It seems unlikely his job was remotely in jeopardy considering that he’s gotten a middle of the road ACC program to a bowl game in three of the last four years.

In fact, Hafley made it very clear that a hotseat played no part in why he’s leaving. The current state of the NCAA is why the Notre Dame football rival’s head coach is leaving for greener pastures. 

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

Notre Dame football rival loses coach to NCAA's new reality

It’s here where I point out that a college coach making the jump to the NFL is hardly shocking. It just happened at Michigan about a week ago. However, when Jim Harbaugh made the leap, he was going from a head coaching job to a head coaching job.

A head coach taking a demotion, even if its from college to the NFL, is pretty unheard of, unless that coach was getting close to getting forced out the door in the first place.

Hafley also isn’t alone in not liking the “new normal” of NIL and the transfer portal. He just happens to be one who is allowing people to admit he’s not up to the challenge. 

Meanwhile, Notre Dame football will continue to win 10 games a year, raid the transfer portal for top of the line players and haul in top of the nation recruiting classes. God speed, coach quitter!