Just over four years removed from being a D-III defensive coordinator, Brandon Staley's meteoric rise has landed him as head coach of the Chargers. John Carroll athletics file photo by John Reid III

Former John Carroll defensive coordinator and secondary coach Brandon Staley agreed to terms to become the head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. Staley was a part of the JCU football coaching staff under former JCU head coach and current Akron coach Tom Arth for three years -- 2013, 2015, and 2016.

In the last of those years, his Blue Streaks defense helped the team go 12-2 and reach the national semifinals, including a rare undefeated run through the Ohio Athletic Conference, snapping Mount Union's streak of consecutive conference titles. That defense gave up 12.6 ppg, 3.6 yards per play, had 15 interceptions, and 45 sacks, defeated Mount Union in Alliance 31-28. Following the season, Staley won JCU Assistant Coach of the Year honors and National Coordinator of the Year honors for Division III.

Staley served as the defensive coordinator in 2020 for the Los Angeles Rams after spending three seasons as the outside linebackers coach for Denver (2019) and Chicago (2017-18).

"It doesn't matter if you've known Brandon for five minutes or five years, what quickly becomes apparent is the amount of energy and passion he approaches each and every moment with," Chargers president of football operations John Spanos said in the club's news release. "The consistency of that enthusiasm is unique and, most importantly, it drives his ability to connect with people. His coaching journey to this particular moment is inspiring; if not for the sheer perseverance and determination of it all, then certainly for the dramatic results it has produced for the teams and players he has coached. I know it's cliché but I know Brandon quite literally cannot wait to get to work. I also know we cannot be more excited to have him as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers."

"Coach Staley is a genius with X's and O's, but he's really in the people business. He knows people," said former JCU cornerback Mike Hollins, a 2017 graduate. "After my first year, I was going to leave JCU. It was too different, so I told Coach Staley I was leaving. He said, 'What are you going to do, go back to your neighborhood where it's harder? This opportunity at JCU can change the trajectory of your life.'

"Before he left for James Madison, he said, 'Mike, you'll be the one of the cornerbacks in the country.' And he was right, and I became an All-American in 2016. He recognized something in me before I did. He's a special person, in the way he approaches practice, his discipline, his tenacity, and the way he works with others."

Staley brought innovation on defense from college to the NFL, serving as outside linebackers coach in Chicago (2017-18) and Denver (2019). He served on Vic Fangio's staff in Denver after following the former defensive coordinator from Chicago. The 2019 Broncos defense led the NFL in red zone scoring, allowing a touchdown on just 39.1 percent of red zone drives — the second-lowest allowed by any NFL defense in the last five seasons. In his two years with Chicago, the Bears led the NFL in takeaways (58) while tying for No. 2 with 92 sacks. Staley was part of a staff in 2018 that coached the top-ranked scoring defense in football (17.7 points per game).

"It's hard to put into words just how excited I am for the opportunity to be the Los Angeles Chargers' head coach," said Staley. "While this is certainly a dream come true, it's also a dream that's just beginning. There's a reason this was probably the most sought after job out there — from ownership, to the fans, to the city, to the men in that locker room — it's the total package. I can't thank the Spanos family and Tom Telesco enough for placing their faith in us, and by the time everyone is reading this quote in a press release, we'll already be hard at work developing a program Chargers fans everywhere can be proud of."

Telesco, the club's general manager, is a former John Carroll wideout and a 1995 graduate.

Before JCU, Staley spent stints at Northern Illinois, St. Thomas, Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, and the University of Tennessee. In college, he played quarterback at Dayton, serving as a team captain and starting for two years. He completed his collegiate career at Mercyhurst, playing there in 2005 with his twin brother, Jason.