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Jacksonville Jaguars may be going with total youth movement in organizational reset | Frenette
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- Jacksonville Jaguars may be going with total youth movement in organizational reset | Frenette
As the Jacksonville Jaguars and owner Shad Khancontinue to fill out the leadership/coach structure of the organization, things are shaping up for the franchise to undergo the most substantial makeover in franchise history.
Khan and head coach Liam Coenare clearly open to ushering in new, bold ideas because the Jaguars have so far gone very young with a large majority of their hires.
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The 39-year-old Coen was the Jaguars' second-youngest of 10 candidates they interviewed. In turn, Coen retained special-teams coordinator Heath Farwell , 43, then hired defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile , 42, and 29-year-old offensive coordinator Grant Udinski . So the team's four most impactful coaches have an average age of 38 years, 3 months.
The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Liam Coen in large part because they view him as an offensive guru that can elevate quarterback Trevor Lawrence like he did Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield in one season as offensive coordinator.
Campanile is the second-youngest DC in Jaguars history and Udinski the youngest OC by five years over predecessor Press Taylor, who was 34 when hired in 2022. The average age of the 13 previous Jaguars offensive coordinators was 46 upon their hire.
No matter what the age range of Coen's remaining hires, this will likely be the youngest coaching staff in team history and that trend could carry over into the front office, depending on which GM candidate is selected.
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Will Khan go young with GM?
It's obvious Khan is giving strong consideration to infusing a youth movement into his front office that Coen has already done with his most prominent coaching hires.
Of the eight confirmed candidates the Jaguars are scheduled to interview for the GM post, Coen is older than three of them — 37-year-old San Francisco 49ers director of scouting Josh Williams, 36-year-old New York Giants assistant GM Brendan Brownand 34-year-old Los Angeles Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone— and the same age as Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunninghamand Cincinnati Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown.
Three other potential hires in Jaguars assistant GM Ethan Waugh, former Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinsonand Los Angeles Chargers Director of Scouting Chad Alexander are all 49. It's also possible the Jaguars will interview other unspecified candidates.
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Given the strong youth presence already in place, many believe the Jaguars' next GM may come out of the first group, though team EVP Tony Bosellihas been publicly positive about Waugh's chances.
What is undeniable is Khan is plenty intrigued about bringing in a young GM with bold, innovative ideas because he came to the realization the franchise needs a departure from the approach of previous 60-year-old GM Trent Baalke.
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan is doing as complete a makeover of the franchise as at any point in team history, opting to go with the youngest head coach in 39-year-old Liam Coen and may follow suit when selecting a new general manager.
That's why you see so many 30-something, rising front-office stars and one of them, Gladstone, is someone the Rams are concerned about losing. Gladstone worked with Coen in LA for four different seasons (2018-20, '22), so he has a bigger tie with the Jaguars' head coach than any GM candidate.
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As one Rams insider told me about Gladstone: "I'm betting he's going to crush the Zoom interviews. I've seen the [Jaguars GM] list. He's going to be a very competitive candidate. I'd definitely invest in him."
When all the Jaguars' hiring is done, the 52-year-old Boselli could wind up being one of the oldest hires in the team's football operation.
Given Boselli's youthful look and enthusiasm, he should still fit right in.
Super Bowl trivia
Of the 10 Super Bowl-winning coaches to also suit up in the NFL/AFL, which four also earned a Super Bowl ring as a player? Answer at the bottom.
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Taylor could face long wait
Now that Fred Taylorfell short of getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the second time as a finalist, the former Jaguars running back is staring at a potentially longer wait for induction into Canton.
Taylor had the benefit this time of not having another running back among the 15 finalists, but that won't be the case over the next two years.
Frank Gore , the No. 3 all-time leading rusher with 16,000 yards, 81 touchdowns and a 4.3 average per carry, becomes eligible for the HOF Class of 2026. The following year, Adrian Peterson , the fifth all-time leading rusher with 14,918 yards, 120 TDs and 4.6-yard average, is eligible and will likely be an HOF lock.
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It doesn't mean Taylor (11,695 yards, 66 TDs, 4.6-yard average) can't get into the HOF in the next two voting cycles, but having competition at his position with significantly better career numbers makes for a difficult hurdle.
Another problem is a change in HOF voting bylaws this year made it harder for voters to elect the maximum five modern era candidates. Only three of 15 original finalists (J ared Allen, Eric Allen and Antonio Gates ) made the HOF this year, along with senior candidate Sterling Sharpe. It was the smallest HOF class since 2005.
With four of the seven modern era finalists that didn't get elected automatically being finalists for the 2026 class -- Torry Holt, Willie Anderson, Luke Kuechleyand Adam Vinatieri -- that means the odds of Taylor and many other contenders being finalists again become tougher since only 11 spots remain. It'll be interesting to see if the HOF gatekeepers, sure to get an avalanche of criticism for this reduced class, will consider going back to letting voters decide with a simple yes or no vote of five finalists needing 80 percent approval for election.
Until then, a smaller HOF class means more players like Taylor will have a longer wait to get into Canton.
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Super Bowl forecast
While it's hard to go against a two-time defending Super Bowl champion that has won 17 straight one-score games, the Kansas City Chiefs also didn't have to contend with Saquon Barkley two years ago when they rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in the Super Bowl.
The Eagles didn't have a viable running weapon outside of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurtsin that SB meeting. Barkley, acquired last offseason from the New York Giants, has rushed for 442 yards and 6.7 yards per carry in three playoff games, with touchdown runs of 78, 62 and 60 yards. The Chiefs are a fantastic situational football team, but Philly having a home-run hitter like Barkley is enough to deny KC a three-peat.
Eagles 31, Chiefs 23
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Super Bowl trivia answer
The last Super Bowl-winning coach to earn a Super Bowl ring as a player is former Jaguars coach Doug Pederson, with the Philadelphia Eagles (2017) and as a backup QB for the Green Bay Packers (1996). The others are Tony Dungy, as coach of the Indianapolis Colts (2006) and backup safety with the 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers ; Tom Flores, who led the Oakland Raiders to two SB titles and was a backup QB with the Kansas City Chiefs (1969); and Mike Ditka, who coached the Chicago Bears (1986) and was a starting tight end for the Dallas Cowboys (1971).
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars owner Shad Khan may go young and younger with team leadership
