The Jacksonville Jaguars enter the 2025 season with a fresh identity. One defined by youth, energy, and bold new leadership under new head coach Liam Coen, offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. But that same identity is exactly why one NFL analyst isn’t sold just yet…
In Ben Solak’s annual league wide ranking of all 32 coaching staffs, he placed the Jaguars at No. 31, marking one of the sharpest drops from 2024. That’s a far cry from last season’s 18th place finish and reflects widespread skepticism about Jacksonville’s decision to go with a first time head coach and two inexperienced coordinators.
Still, as Solak notes, this ranking may age poorly. “To be fair, I had the Commanders at this spot in 2024, and that looks tectonically dumb now — so maybe it’s a blessed spot.”
A Leap of Faith With Liam Coen
GettyNew Voices, New Vision, and a Lot to Learn
Jacksonville hired Liam Coen as head coach this offseason following his breakout campaign as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator. The Bucs were a top five offense by nearly every metric in 2024, and Coen’s play-calling was named a big reason why.
The upside is real. The track record in Tampa was electric. But Solak cautions that play-calling talent doesn’t always translate to success in the big chair. “Coen’s first season calling plays in an NFL game was last season… he absolutely shredded it,” Solak wrote. “But we know that offensive ingenuity does not always spell head coaching success.”
That transition, from play designer to program builder, will be key for Jacksonville. Coen’s ability to establish culture, make game-management decisions, and steady the ship during adversity will define his legacy.
An Unproven, High-Upside Staff
GettyCan Coen and Company Build Something That Lasts?
If the Jaguars were counting on experience to help Coen’s transition, they didn’t show it.
Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski is just 29 years old and has only been in the NFL since 2020. His most recent role was as assistant offensive coordinator in Minnesota, a respected position, but far from a traditional pipeline to OC duties.
Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is calling plays at the NFL level for the first time. He spent years as a successful college coach and joined the league in 2020, but this promotion marks his biggest challenge yet.
Solak didn’t hold back: “From the outside looking in, it’s hard to find a staff with a lower floor than the Jaguars’, simply because of the inexperience.”
Despite the low ranking, Solak isn’t completely pessimistic. He acknowledges that NFL success isn’t always built on resumes and that Jacksonville’s staff could easily prove him wrong. “I am the last person to believe that tenure in the league guarantees competency or predicts improvement,” Solak wrote. “If the Jaguars went through a thoughtful search and landed on these guys as coaching talents, then kudos to them.”
This is, in many ways, a bet on potential. The Jaguars believe in their young core of players, and they’ve hired a coaching group that reflects that same forward-looking mindset. The staff is built to grow together, and if they can weather early turbulence, the payoff could be huge. The key is to stabilize, and fast.
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