Boston College football defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni will depart the program to join new Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia's staff as its defensive coordinator, Yahoo! Sports's Pete Thamel reports. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport first noted Pasqualoni as a potential target for Patricia last week. The Lions confirmed the report on Wednesday afternoon.

Pasqualoni, 68, has been the Eagles' defensive line coach for the last two seasons, rejoining the staff of Steve Addazio, who is a member of his own coaching tree when he was at Syracuse (Addazio was the offensive line coach). Addazio and Pasqualoni, both Connecticut natives, got their coaching starts in the state, at Western Connecticut State (where Pasqualoni was head coach and Addazio hired him as offensive line coach) and Cheshire (Conn.) High School. After four years as an assistant, Pasqualoni took over for Dick MacPherson as head coach of Syracuse in 1991. He went 107-59-1 for the Orange, winning four Big East titles and finishing ranked seven times. Pasqualoni then did several jobs for the Dallas Cowboys before a two-season stint as defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. He then spent three seasons as the head coach of Connecticut, then coached defensive line for the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans for a season each before coming to BC.

If the report holds up, the departure is a huge tactical blow for the Eagles. Pasqualoni was a welcome addition alongside Jim Reid when Don Brown left as defensive coordinator to head up the unit at Michigan. Though Reid has the big job, linemen Harold Landry, Zach Allen, and others often tout Pasqualoni's teaching as one of the big reasons they enjoy their tutelage at BC. It's arguable that he's the most crucial of the position coaches at BC when it comes to the gameday product (Anthony Campanile may be overall from a recruiting standpoint).