Former Tennessee Vols graduate assistant is considered a candidate for the 49ers' defensive coordinator job
Former Tennessee Vols graduate assistant Brandon Staley is considered a candidate for the recently opened San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator job. Staley, who was the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021 to 2023, was a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 2012 under then head coach Derek Dooley. From The Athletic: Staley was […]
Former Tennessee Vols graduate assistant Brandon Staley is considered a candidate for the recently opened San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator job.
Staley, who was the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021 to 2023, was a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 2012 under then head coach Derek Dooley.
From The Athletic: Staley was in charge of the nickelbacks (A-plus) and takeaway meetings (D-minus) during the 2024 season. He hails from an entirely different system than the 49ers prefer, but his year in Santa Clara might have taught him how to bridge the differences and the 49ers may be looking to shake up the system they’ve used for so long. Staley is a disciple of Vic Fangio, who had great success with the Philadelphia Eagles this season, and Shanahan has sought Fangio’s counsel in the past. Shanahan said Wednesday at his end-of-season news conference that he would plan to interview Staley for the role.
Staley, who spent the 2024 season as the 49ers' assistant head coach, wasn't in Knoxville for long (he left Tennessee for the defensive coordinator job at John Carroll after the 2012 season), but he played an important role in bringing an exciting player to Rocky Top.
Before joining Tennessee's staff in 2012, Staley was the defensive coordinator at Hutchinson Community College.
At the time, Tennessee was recruiting Hutchinson wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
One of the reasons that Patterson was on the Vols' radar is because Darrin Hinshaw, who was Tennessee's wide receivers coach at the time, was friends with Staley.
Hinshaw noticed Patterson while watching another player on film. When asked about Patterson by Hinshaw, Staley referred to the dynamic wide receiver as a "freak".
From The Athletic: Patterson went to Hutchinson Junior College out of Rock Hill’s Northwestern High School, and that’s where he was when Tennessee wide receivers coach Darin Hinshaw first saw him on film while scouting another Hutchinson player. Hinshaw immediately called a friend on Hutchinson’s staff, Brandon Staley, who was Hutchinson’s defensive coordinator at the time and is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.“I said, ‘Who is this guy?’” said Hinshaw, now an offensive analyst at UCF. “He said, ‘Oh, that’s CP. He’s a freak.’ He said, ‘Man, I’m telling you, you want to see this guy in person.’”
Patterson, like Staley, spent just a single season at Tennessee, but he left quite a mark, scoring 10 total touchdowns in 2012 (three rushing touchdowns, five receiving touchdowns, a kick return touchdown, and a punt return touchdown).
If not for Staley, there's a chance that Patterson never ends up at Tennessee.
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No need to be worried about Coach Pope
