There was a flurry of coaching news as it relates to the staff of newly hired Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel on Monday, with big name coaches both being added to the staff and parting ways with the organization.
One of those big name departures is inside linebackers coach Dont’a Hightower, who reportedly exits New England after one season on the coaching staff of fired head coach Jerod Mayo.
Hightower joined Mayo’s coaching staff after three years away from the game, retiring after the 2021 season to complete a 10-year career - all with the Patriots.
Hightower was the leader of the defense for three Super Bowl teams in New England (2014, 2016, 2018), making a game-saving tackle on Marshawn Lynch in the waning moments of Super Bowl XLIX, as well as strip-sacking Matt Ryan amidst the improbable 28-3 second-half-comeback in Super Bowl LI.
Cemented as one of the legendary Patriots of his generation, New England fans were excited when it was announced that Hightower would be joining Mayo’s staff to coach the inside linebackers. But any and all excitement for the Patriots’ defense faded quickly, as the unit regressed across the board in 2024.
New England’s defense finished the season ranked 22nd in overall defense, 22nd in scoring defense, 23rd in rushing defense, 25th in red zone defense, and 26th in third down defense. Linebacker production plays a massive role in all of those categories.
With the front seven disappointing the way it did in 2024, both Hightower and outside linebackers coach Mike Wilkins will not be a part of Vrabel’s rebuild in 2025.
Stepping in the place of both Hightower and Wilkins will be Florida A&M defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Milton Patterson and Giants assistant Zak Kuhr.
Patterson, who MassLive’s Chris Mason reports was hired by Vrabel on Monday, has been coaching linebackers collegiately since 2014, with stops at Mississippi Valley State, Clark-Atlanta, and Florida A&M.
Kuhr, who was reportedly hired by the Patriots last week, spent one season with the Giants working under defensive coordinator Shane Bowen after spending four seasons working with Vrabel in Tennessee as an inside linebackers assistant.
While specific roles for both Patterson and Kuhr are not yet known, their previous experience working directly with linebackers suggests that both coaches will look to support that unit in their first season with the team.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on Vrabel’s coaching staff.