BREAKING: The Seattle Seahawks have hired Jay Harbaugh, the son of Jim Harbaugh; to serve as their special teams coordinator.

The Seattle Seahawks have made a significant coaching addition for the upcoming 2024 season, bringing in J. Harbaugh, not the renowned Jim Harbaugh but his son, Jay Harbaugh. Despite expectations that Jay might follow his father to the Los Angeles Chargers, he has opted to join the Seahawks as their new special teams coordinator.

Jay Harbaugh has a noteworthy track record, having overseen a highly regarded special teams unit at Michigan under his father’s coaching since 2017. The move to the Seahawks aligns with his previous collaboration with the new head coach, Mike Macdonald. Macdonald had worked with Jay during his tenure as the defensive coordinator at Michigan in 2021 and later returned to be the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator under Jim’s brother, John, from 2022 to 2023.

While the Seahawks missed out on securing Jim Harbaugh as their head coach, the hiring of Jay, a product of the Harbaugh coaching lineage, suggests a connection to the football legacy that could prove beneficial.

This addition also reflects the Seahawks’ commitment to a youth movement, with Jay Harbaugh at 34 years old contributing to a coaching staff led by the NFL’s youngest head coach, 36-year-old Mike Macdonald. The swift staff assembly also includes Leslie Frazier, appointed as the assistant head coach, poised to support Macdonald on the defensive front. Despite the pending announcement of the offensive coordinator, Macdonald is making swift progress in shaping his coaching team, drawing on familiar connections and experienced individuals like Jay Harbaugh.