Michael Macdonald (born June 26, 1987) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach who is the

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

of the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He previously served as the

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

from 2022 to 2023. Macdonald attended the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

, where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 2010. He previously served as an assistant coach for the Baltimore Ravens and at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Early life

Macdonald was born on June 26, 1987, in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He attended Centennial High School in

Roswell, Georgia Roswell is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States. At the official 2020 census, the city had a population of 92,883, making Roswell the state's ninth largest city. A suburb of Atlanta, Roswell has an affluent National Registe ...

. He played baseball and football at Centennial but saw limited action as a senior due to injuries. He next attended the

where he studied

finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

at the

Terry College of Business Terry is a unisex diminutive nickname for the given names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence, Terrance (masculine). People Male * Terry A. Canales, American politician * Terry A. Doughty (born 1959), American district judge * Terry A. ...

and graduated ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' in 2010. He was a member of

Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon (), commonly known as SigEp, is a social college Fraternities and sororities, fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College, which is now the University of ...

and, while still a student at Georgia, he also coached high school football at

Cedar Shoals High School Cedar Shoals High School is an American high school established in 1972 in Athens, Georgia, in the Clarke County School District. It and Clarke Central High School are the district's two main high schools, and their rivalry is known as the Class ...

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

Coaching career

Georgia

In May 2010, he joined

Mark Richt Mark Allan Richt (born February 18, 1960) is an American former college football coach, player, and current television analyst. He was the head football coach at the University of Georgia for 15 years and at the University of Miami, his alma mate ...

's coaching staff as a graduate assistant with the

Georgia Bulldogs football The Georgia Bulldogs football program represents the University of Georgia in the sport of American football. The Georgia Bulldogs, Bulldogs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

program. He also served as a safeties and defensive quality control coach at Georgia from 2011 to 2013. In 2013, while coaching at Georgia, he earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

sport management Sport management is the field of business dealing with sports and recreation. Sports management involves any combination of skills that correspond with planning, organizing, directing, controlling, budgeting, leading, or evaluating of any organiz ...

Baltimore Ravens

Macdonald served on

John Harbaugh John William Harbaugh ( ; born September 23, 1962) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia ...

's coaching staff with the

for seven seasons from 2014 to 2020. He was hired as an intern in 2014 and was promoted to defensive assistant in January 2015, defensive backs coach in January 2017, and linebackers coach in January 2018.

Michigan

In January 2021, Macdonald joined

Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh ( ; born December 23, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at ...

's staff at Michigan, as the

of the

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...

program. In Macdonald's only season at the University of Michigan, the Wolverines posted a top 10 national defense, won the Big Ten Conference Championship, and played in the

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual single-elimination tournament, knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, D ...

. The team finished with a national ranking of #3.

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

On January 27, 2022, Macdonald was re-hired by the

as their defensive coordinator under head coach

, replacing

Don Martindale Don "Wink" Martindale (born May 19, 1963) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the University of Michigan, a position he has held since 2024. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants ...

. In 2022, Macdonald led the Ravens' defense to only allowing 315 points in 17 games. Averaging just under 19 points per game, the Ravens' defense was ranked the fourth best defense in the league. In

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, the Ravens' defensive unit improved under Macdonald as they only allowed 280 points in total on the season. The Ravens would advance to the AFC Championship this season and despite losing to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, the Ravens would hold the Chiefs to just 17 points, marking the team's sixth consecutive game where they held an opponent to 20 points or less.

Seattle Seahawks

On January 31, 2024, Mike Macdonald was hired by the

as their head coach to replace

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the NCAA's ...

. He beat out

Ejiro Evero Ejiro Evero (born 6 January 1981) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams ...

, Patrick Graham, Ben Johnson, Mike Kafka,

Raheem Morris Dejohnold Raheem Morris (born September 3, 1976) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach of the Tampa B ...

, Dan Quinn,

Bobby Slowik Bobby Slowik (born June 9, 1987) is an American football coach who currently serves as the senior passing game coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously has served as an assistant coach for the ...

, and Frank Smith for the job. At the time of his hiring, Mike Macdonald was the youngest head coach in the NFL. Macdonald began his inaugural season with Seattle by leading the team to three straight victories for the first time since

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

. The team followed this start by going on a three game losing streak. By the Seahawks' Week 10 bye, the team held a record of 4–5, falling to last place in the

NFC West The National Football Conference – Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Card ...

. The team improved to 5–5 in Week 11 when Macdonald's Seahawks defeated the reigning NFC champions and division rivals, the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, 20–17. In Week 18, he led the team to a 30–25 victory against the division rival

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

on route to his 10th coaching win in his first season, becoming the first head coach in franchise history to reach 10 wins in his inaugural season. The Seahawks finished with a 10–7 record but missed the postseason in Macdonald's first season as head coach.

Head coaching record

Personal life

Macdonald and his wife Stephanie have been married since 2021. On December 3, 2024, Macdonald and his wife, Stephanie, became first-time parents with the arrival of their son, Jack.

References

External links

Seattle Seahawks profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Mike 1987 births Living people Baltimore Ravens coaches Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Coaches of American football from Massachusetts Georgia Bulldogs football coaches High school football coaches in Georgia (U.S. state) Michigan Wolverines football coaches NFL defensive coordinators Seattle Seahawks head coaches Sports coaches from Boston Sportspeople from Roswell, Georgia University of Georgia alumni