The 49ers offseason checklist gained a top priority after the Super Bowl when they let go of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Finding his replacement is paramount for San Francisco’s continued success on that side of the football, but there’ll also be immense pressure on the new DC given the success Wilks did have.
It appears head coach Kyle Shanahan has a specific type of coach in mind, and any search that didn’t go inside and outside the building wouldn’t have been adequate.
There are some huge names on the market, including former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. They’re two of the brightest defensive minds of all-time and both would quickly become the most over-qualified coordinator in the league. The same goes for former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who was a DC in Houston for one year before taking the head job in Nashville.
Hard reporting on the 49ers’ DC search has been tough to come by, but the latest from Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle indicates the team may be leaning toward an internal candidate.
We’ve run through a list of 10 possible candidates, both in and out of Santa Clara, but with this from Silver we decided to run through the 49ers’ entire defensive coaching staff listed on the team website to find out which internal candidates could conceivably be up for the top defensive job:
Daniel Bullocks, Defensive backs
Is he a legitimate candidate?
Yes.
Why?
One knock on Bullocks is that he’s only ever coached defensive backs after playing in the secondary for four seasons in the NFL. His coaching career began with Northern Iowa in 2012 where coached DBs. He did the same at Eastern Michigan before taking an assistant DBs coaching gig with the Jaguars in 2016 as his first NFL stop. He joined the 49ers as an assistant DBs coach in 2017 and by 2019 was coaching safeties and now coaches the DBs. His youth, he turns 41 in late February, and years in the 49ers’ defensive system make him a very intriguing candidate.
Johnny Holland, Linebackers
Is he a legitimate candidate?
Yes.
Why?
Not only is Holland extremely experienced after beginning his NFL coaching tenure in 1995 with the Packers, but he’s had a variety of jobs that could make him a valuable asset as a DC. Not to mention he’s well-liked by the 49ers coaching staff. Holland has been a defensive quality control coach, a special teams coach, a strength and conditioning assistant, inside linebackers coach, outside linebackers coach and linebackers coach during his many years of pro football coaching. Perhaps he’s content as a position coach, which he’s been with the 49ers since 2017, but his experience in the all-important second level of the 49ers’ defense makes him a good potential fit.
Kris Kocurek, Defensive line
Is he a legitimate candidate?
Yes.
Why?
Kocurek is one of the most notable 49ers’ position coaches. His name will surely come up every time the team has a defensive coordinator opening, and the hire would certainly make sense, but it might be that the excellent defensive line coach is content being just that. Kocurek was a key voice in the room when the 49ers conducted defensive coordinator interviews last year, and he figures to have similar influence this year even if he’s not the choice.
Nick Sorensen, Defensive passing game specialist/Nickels
Is he a legitimate candidate?
Yes.
Why?
His background is in the secondary, but Sorensen has a ton of experience in the Carroll defense that Shanahan wants his team to run. Sorensen’s first NFL job was with Carroll’s Seahawks in 2013 as as a special teams assistant. He was an assistant DBs coach for Seattle in 2016, and then spent four years as their secondary coach from 2017-20. After a one-year stint as the Jaguars’ special teams coordinator, Sorensen landed with San Francisco as a defensive assistant in 2022. He was promoted to defensive passing game specialist and nickels coach for the 2023 campaign. He’s not the most experienced internal candidate, but his quick promotion with the 49ers indicates there’s a high opinion of him. Combining that with the Carroll experience makes him an interesting name to watch.
Andrew Hayes-Stoker, Defensive backs assistant
Is he a legitimate candidate?
No.
Why?
Hayes-Stoker’s background is actually largely on the offensive side. He played running back at TCU and coached wide receivers for five years at the University of Illinois. The breadth of his defensive experience includes two years as a defensive quality control coach and one as their assistant DBs coach. He may be on the rise to bigger things as a coach on the defensive side, particularly with his background on offense, but for now that kind of leap to DC is premature.
Cameron Brown, Defensive quality control
Is he a legitimate candidate?
No.
Why?
Brown has even less experience than Hayes-Stoker. The 2023 season was Brown’s first in the NFL and he worked as a defensive quality control coach. The 49ers aren’t above hiring a rapid riser. QC to DC in one year though is too rapid even for them.
Jacob Webster, Defensive quality control
Is he a legitimate candidate?
No.
Why?
Webster is in the exact same boat as Brown. One year as a defensive quality coach does not a defensive coordinator make.
