Andy Reid once ran a play drawn up by a Packers custodian. The best leaders in any business will take ideas from all sources. And if one of the three assistants the Jaguars announced on Friday morning can provide even a small edge for Liam Coen’s first staff and roster, their two months in Jacksonville will have been time well invested.
But potentially offering a creative wrinkle for using Travis Hunter isn't the primary reason why the Jaguars hired assistant coaches Ari Confesor, Anthony Gaitor and Dawson Oduom.
For better than three decades, the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship has helped outstanding coaches gain exposure to the league’s training camps and offseason workout programs. Those three will get valuable experience when the Jaguars conduct their organized team activities and mandatory minicamp over the next several weeks, the team announced Friday.
Confesor helped Taylor Morin become Wake Forest’s all-time leading receiver in 2024 before the wideout signed as a non-drafted free agent with the world champion Eagles earlier this month.
A former assistant on Reid’s first staff with the Chiefs in 2013, Confesor also has coached at Rhode Island (2009-12 and 2013-18), Holy Cross (2018-19) and Air Force (2019-23) prior to joining the Demon Deacons (2023-25). A two-time All-American at Holy Cross, he excelled as a wide receiver and kick returner.
Gaitor walked the path several of the Jaguars’ players are navigating. Drafted by Tampa Bay in 2011, Gaitor played for both Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano over his first two seasons. He also spent time as a player in the Miami, Arizona and New Orleans organizations, and also played for British Columbia and Winnipeg in the CFL. He’s spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Florida International, where he currently serves as cornerbacks coach.
Odums is a former head coach, having guided the Norfolk State program from 2021-24, including the team’s first winning campaign since 2007. Prior to that, Odums served as head coach at Southern – also known as the Jaguars -- from 2013-21. He also has time as a college assistant at Gardner-Webb (1999), Georgia Southern (2000-01), Clark Atlanta (2002-05), Bethune-Cookman (2005-08) and North Carolina A&T (2009-11). He initially joined Norfolk State in 2011.
The Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship is named after the late Pro Football Hall of Famer who perfected the West Coast Offense as 49ers head coach from 1979-88. Walsh went 3-0 in Super Bowls and spawned an NFL coaching tree widely considered the best in football history.
The program's objective is to use NFL training camps, offseason workout programs and minicamps to give talented coaches opportunities to observe, participate, gain experience and ultimately gain full-time NFL coaching positions.
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