Washington expected to hire Patriots coach Steve Belichick as defensive coordinator: Source

Former New England Patriots defensive play caller Steve Belichick is expected to become the new defensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies, a program source told The Athletic on Sunday. The 36-year-old son of Bill Belichick called the Patriots’ defense for the past four seasons. The younger Belichick has coached in New England since 2012 and worked with Jedd Fisch in 2020, when the new Washington head coach was the Patriots quarterbacks coach.

The recent success of former NFL assistants as college defensive coordinators makes the Belichick hire intriguing. In 2023, three of the top eight ranked defenses in FBS were coordinated by DCs who had come from the NFL. Michigan ranked No. 4 under former Ravens assistant Jesse Minter. Notre Dame was No. 5 under former Bengals assistant Al Golden, and UCLA was No. 8 under former Ravens assistant D’Anton Lynn.

Much of the new Washington staff came with Fisch from Arizona, where he’d led the Wildcats to a 10-win season in his third year turning around the U of A program. The entire offensive staff — OC/O-line coach Brennan Carroll, QB coach Jimmie Dougherty, tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Jordan Paopao, running backs coach Scottie Graham and wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings — followed from Tucson as did secondary coach John Richardson and defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi.

The addition of Belichick gives the Huskies the unique distinction of having the sons of Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick as UW’s two coordinators.

The Huskies played for the national title and went 25-3 the past two years under Kalen DeBoer but now have to replace all but two returning starters from last year’s Pac-12 champs as they move to the Big Ten.

Required reading
How Nick Saban’s retirement altered 3 West Coast programs: ‘I don’t know if I have a job’
West Coast winners, losers in the transfer portal: Oregon adds quality QBs, Arizona keeps dynamic duo
Evaluating each former Pac-12 football team’s reason for optimism and concern in 2024
(Photo: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.