Jaguars' Fast Start Could Cost Liam Coen Both of His Coordinators by the Time January Arrives

Anthony Campanile and Grant Udinski both drew head coach interest last winter. A 3-1 start and a defense allowing 13.3 points a game will bring more.

by Neal Coolong

Oct 7, 2026

Anthony Campanile and Grant Udinski both drew head coach interest last winter. A 3-1 start and a defense allowing 13.3 points a game will bring more.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 3-1 and climbing in the power rankings, and Liam Coen is learning what that costs. Two ESPN insiders wrote Wednesday that both of his coordinators, Anthony Campanile on defense and Grant Udinski on offense, are on track for head coach interviews after the season.

“I believe teams are going to want to talk to Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile next offseason,” Dan Graziano wrote. Jeremy Fowler added Udinski to the list. “Both of Jacksonville’s coordinators, Campanile and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, should be in the mix yet again,” Fowler wrote. “They have a good thing going in North Florida.”

Campanile’s defense is making the case

Aug 21, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller (51) warms up before the start of the preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Graziano pointed to the numbers. Jacksonville ranks fourth in the NFL in defensive EPA, he wrote, and only Minnesota allows fewer than the Jaguars’ 13.3 points per game. The defense also leads the league with six interceptions, has not allowed more than 20 points in a game and has given up nine first-half points all season. Linebacker Ventrell Miller has a 90.2 overall grade through four games and Travis Hunter has a 76.3 coverage grade, according to PFF.

Campanile, 44, has been through this once. He was a finalist for the Arizona Cardinals job in January and also interviewed with Baltimore and Miami. Arizona hired Mike LaFleur instead. “His teams play physical football,” Fowler wrote.

Udinski was already in demand

Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski answers questions from the media after an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Udinski turned 30 in January, the same month he interviewed with Cleveland before withdrawing and was considered in Buffalo before the Bills promoted Joe Brady. He is in his second season running the offense with Coen, and Graziano wrote that “Trevor Lawrence and Coen’s offense are obviously operating at a high level right now.” Lawrence has a 76.3 overall grade from PFF, and Jacksonville has won 11 of its past 12 regular-season games.

Coen kept both assistants after a 13-win debut season that ended with a 27-24 wild-card loss to Buffalo, and Action Network ranked his staff seventh in the NFL entering this year. Graziano explained why that gets harder. “When teams look for head coaching candidates, they look to the organizations that are doing a lot of winning,” he wrote. Jacksonville plays Philadelphia in London on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET.