Tem Lukabu Hired As Next Boston College Defensive Coordinator
Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley continues to build his coaching staff, adding Cincinnati Bengals LB coach Tem Lukabu as his defensive coordinator.
Per the Boston College Press Release:
“Tem is a tremendous coach with experience both in the NFL and on the collegiate level,” said Hafley. “I have had the opportunity to work with him and have seen how bright of a defensive mind he is. He is a great person who is smart, intelligent and relates to players extremely well. He fits all of our values of what BC is all about and we could not be happier to have Tem, his wife Kate, and their three children, daughters Zaida and Kamryn, and son Pax, join our BC Football family.”
Lukabu, 38, was born in the Congo and has had a career that has spanned both the NFL and college ranks. A former player at Colgate, he started his coaching career at Rutgers as Director of Player Personnel ('06-'07) before heading to URI as a linebackers coach ('08-09). He as also worked as a defensive coach at Colgate, FIU, Mississippi State, and with the Cincinnati Bengals where he worked most recently.
The hiring of Lukabu continues Hafley's trend of hiring coaches that he has experience working with. The two have crossed paths multiple times in their short careers, first at Rutgers in 2010-11 where Lukabu worked as the OLB coach. They also worked together in Tampa and San Francisco where Lukabu worked as defensive assistant and defensive quality coordinator respectively.
This is an interesting hire for the Eagles, as Lukabu is not a name that many had mentioned when talking defensive coordinator candidates. But he is a young coach who is not yet 40, and this seems like the next logical step in his career. Hafley could go with a young coordinator here, as defense is the head coach's expertise and probably the side of the ball he will influence most. The earlier hire of Frank Cignetti gives Hafley an experienced coordinator at a position that he will need a strong coach running.
Now that the Eagles have their coordinators in place, expect position coaches to be announced soon as well.