Hafley on 'the Right Way': Why He Chose BC, What He Looks for in Recruits
Jeff Hafley had options after his first year as Ohio State's co-defensive coordinator. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach. His 2019 Buckeyes defense—a unit that helped drive the program back to the College Football Playoff—skyrocketed 46 spots in points per game allowed, conceding just 13.7 points per contest, which was fourth in the FBS that year.
Hafley anticipated that he'd be at Ohio State much longer than one season.
Instead, he ended up as Boston College's head coach that December.
Interviewing for that gig isn't a decision he regrets. Even after starting his head coaching career in the pandemic. And after seeing a pair of athletic directors already jump for other Power Five schools amid his brief stay in Chestnut Hill.
"I wanted to go somewhere where I didn't have to cheat, I didn't have to cut corners, I didn't have to sleep by my phone and get phone calls in the middle of the night," Hafley said during his press conference portion of the ACC Kickoff this week in Charlotte, North Carolina. "I wanted to be around good people."
He continued: "I knew about BC. I grew up in New Jersey. I felt like we could do better and recruit better and play better. That's no disrespect to anybody that coached before because they did a good job, but I came because I thought we could elevate it doing it the right way with really good people."
The "right way" was an emphasis for Hafley throughout his ACC Kickoff appearances this year. The 43-year-old player's coach prioritizes relationships with his staff and, of course, his team.
He also believes in building a program through high school recruiting rather than mining the transfer portal. Hafley will use the portal when there's a position of need—exhibit A: BC's starting quarterback, Phil Jurkovec, is a former Notre Dame transfer—but he wants his staff to develop young talent, more so than turning to the portal to temporarily plug roster holes.
It goes back to his long-term commitment to BC. Because of his youth, recruiting chops and development success in the NFL and FBS, there has consistently been talk of Hafley moving on from BC for a higher-level Power Five head coaching job. He told reporters Wednesday that schools have come calling after both of his seasons on the Heights.
Except Hafley, who signed a five-year extension through 2026 back in November, hasn't budged.
"What do you mean I'm not going to stay?" Hafley said, describing his reaction when he's asked about his future at BC. "We have great kids. We have an unbelievable school and unbelievable leadership. Our staff has been awesome. We've recruited well. It is an awesome place. We're going to win, but we're going to do it the right way."
Again, the right way.
For Hafley, that means finding student-athletes who love football yet also see themselves in a world off the gridiron. Kids who want to be students of the game and students in the classroom.
In an ACC Network panel interview spearheaded by Kelsey Riggs, Hafley discussed how he left the NFL because he missed "the development of young players." Additionally, he missed the hive mind of college football, where players are often in tears after a loss, not because of their individual future but because of their unrelenting commitment to the program. Meanwhile, in the NFL, some players are simply seen smiling and exchanging jerseys after defeats, Hafley mentioned.
Hafley wanted to make a difference in young people's lives, whether that be through football or through the workforce.
"We have a staff full of NFL guys," he said. "If a guy wants to play in the league, we'll show 'em how to get there. But they're also going to get a great degree and great job internship.
"In the NFL, some of those guys last two years, three years. Some don't have a degree. Some never did an internship, and they're starting from scratch. Not at our place. I can change a life, even if you never play a down because I can help you get a great job that will change your life."
So he searches for high schoolers that are focused on all career opportunities. Because, in Hafley's words, "there's more to life than football."
BC has taken significant strides in the recruiting sphere since Hafley was hired. The Eagles have secured back-to-back top-40 classes and are well on their way to a third straight group of such caliber while expanding their recruiting footprint. They've made their mark in Texas and pulled in prospects from previously-uncharted states, for BC anyway, like Nevada, Montana and Tennessee.
Hafley and his staff have done so without surrendering their values.
"If I'm with a recruit, and their parents don't care about academics, and their kid doesn't care about internships, and all he wants to do is sit in a photoshoot or put this on and that on, that kid can go somewhere else," Hafley said. '''Cause he's not gonna work for us. I mean, I've already told our staff. There were four or five kids who visited, that after I sat in my office, 'Those kids aren't for us. We're not recruiting them anymore.'"
Hafley continued: "To me, it's always about, 'What's real?'" he said. "The photoshoot? What are you gonna do with that picture 20 years from now? I mean, it's cool, man. I want it to look good. I want ours to be better than everybody's. But is that the most important thing? Or do you want to watch film with me in my office? Or do you want to talk about what internships you can get? Or are you just going to spend five hours at a photoshoot, where that picture 20 years from now is gonna go in the garbage. But I could teach you something that's going to last a lifetime."
Hafley, who is 12-11 since taking over the reigns at BC, is the first admit that he can be better as a head coach. He takes responsibility for the Eagles' setbacks in 2021.
BC went from exceeding national expectations in 2020 to falling way short of them last season. A significant part of that decline was injuries, namely a season-threatening fracture to Jurkovec's throwing hand. Even so, Hafley owned that the Eagles' struggling offense, which averaged 16.4 points per game against league opponents in 2021, was his failure.
Hafley talked about how he's been too focused on defense in his first two seasons as BC's frontman. He pointed out that this offseason has been about re-establishing his offensive vision, which he believes aligns with that of new offensive coordinator John McNulty.
There's pressure for Hafley and, likewise BC, to perform well in 2022—to be a threat in the ACC. Especially in today's landscape of college football, where re-alignment takes center stage, and the Big Ten and SEC are king.
Hafley is confident his program will do it.
The right way. With the right players.