Kevin O'Connell was a first-time head coach when the Minnesota Vikings hired him in 2022. But his resume, briefly as an NFL quarterback and as an assistant working under some notable head coaches, provided lessons on the importance of hiring the right assistant coaches.
O'Connell's first defensive coordinator hire, despite the Vikings making the playoffs in 2022, was a disaster. Ed Donatell's "sit back, bend, and usually break" philosophy led to him being one-and-done, and O'Connell did a complete 180 from that by hiring Brian Flores as his new defensive coordinator in 2023.
The first branch of O'Connell's budding head coaching tree, former offensive assistant Grant Udinski, is now the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive coordinator.