T
he Jacksonville Jaguars are rolling. After beating the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, the team is 3-1 to start the 2026 NFL season and is looking like one of the top teams in the AFC. The Jaguars have played well in all three phases, but particularly on defense, where defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile has continued to prove he is one of the NFL’s best assistant coaches.
Campanile has been an NFL assistant for his entire career, but his performance with the Jaguars could earn him serious consideration to become a head coach in the near future. According to some sources, that near future could come as soon as this offseason.
Dan Graziano: Teams will look to talk to Campanile
Each year, multiple head coach openings come up and many coordinators are the first to earn a chance to interview. Campanile, who has been the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator since 2025, has turned the defense around and according to Graziano, that could lead to head coaching interest.
“I believe teams are going to want to talk to Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile next offseason,” Graziano wrote. “The Jaguars look as good as any team in the league right now, and the program has come together very quickly in its second year under head coach Liam Coen. When teams look for head coaching candidates, they look to the organizations that are doing a lot of winning.”
The Jaguars’ defense is ranked in the top-five in several categories, ranked No. 2 in points per game allowed and No. 3 in rushing yards allowed per game. The team faces a tough schedule the rest of the season, but if the defense continues to play at an elite level, expect them to make a deep postseason run.
Campanile’s Coaching Career
Campanile started his coaching career as a high school assistant coach before moving to the college ranks, taking a job as a defensive assistant at Rutgers ahead of the 2012 season. At Rutgers for five seasons, he then spent a few seasons at Boston College (2016-2018) before joining Jim Harbaugh’s staff at Michigan for the 2019 season. Campanile took his first NFL job in 2020, joining the Miami Dolphins as their linebackers coach. He left the Dolphins ahead of the 2024 season to join the Green Bay Packers as their linebackers coach and run game coordinator. When Coen took the Jaguars head coaching job, he hired Campanile to be his defensive coordinator.
Campanile received interest from the Arizona Cardinals to become their head coach ahead of this season, but the job ultimately went to Mike LaFleur. He signed a contract extension to remain with the Jaguars for this year, but he is able to get out of his contract at any time if a head coaching job opens up for him.
Jaguars assistant coach could reportedly earn a head coaching job next season