The New England Patriots and owner Robert Kraft are staying in-house for their new head coach.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday morning, the Patriots are set to promote VFL Jerod Mayo into the head coaching position as Bill Belichick’s successor and the 15th coach in New England history.
While Mayo is a product of the Belichick regime, the Patriots are moving into a more youthful era. Belichick, age 71, will be replaced by 37-year-old Mayo, who will now be the youngest head coach in the NFL.
Jerod Mayo is no stranger to the New England Patriots organization. In fact, it’s all he has known in the professional football world. Mayo was drafted out of the University of Tennessee with a first-round selection and played for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015. The former Vol decided to retire to due injury but wouldn’t stay away from the organization for too long. Mayo returned to the team in 2019 as the inside linebackers coach and held the position firmly until his promotion to head coach on Friday.
The New England Patriots never reached out to a single person including the hot names like Jim Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel, or even Ben Johnson, per sources. They made their decision less than a day after firing Belichick with a plan in place.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 12, 2024
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The Hampton, Virginia, native played at the University of Tennessee from 2004 to 2007 and left a lasting impression. Mayo was named a First Team All-SEC after his final season in 2007.
During his three-year career (redshirt season in 2004) playing on the field for Tennessee, Mayo racked up a total of 236 tackles, 21.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, one interception, and one touchdown.
The Patriots’ move to install Mayo as head coach comes just one day after New England’s formal press conference announcing the parting of ways between the organization and the longtime head coach. Bill Belichick coached the Patriots for 24 seasons and captured six Super Bowl championships in the process.
Jerod Mayo’s introductory press conference will take place sometime next week in New England.
This story will be updated when more information is released.
