Eagles DBs Coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim Promoted to Associate Head Coach
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
Boston College defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim had an offer to be a Power Five defensive coordinator this year. He turned it down.
Instead, the Washington, D.C. native returned to BC with a promotion.
Second-year Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley announced Tuesday afternoon that Abdul-Rahim will be the team’s associate head coach this season.
“He deserves it,” Hafley said. “I go to him for a lot of different things. He’s got a great grasp of the team. He’s got a great feel for the team. I’m really excited for him and for his future here. And I’m very, very excited that he’s staying with us.”
Abdul-Rahim came over to BC last year after serving as UMass’ defensive coordinator in 2019. But he made a name for himself as a defensive backs coach at Maryland, where he developed a handful of All-Big Ten honorees and earned the reputation as one of the top recruiters in the country over the course of three seasons. In 2017 and 2018, Abdul-Rahim’s ballhawking secondaries piled up a combined 28 interceptions.
His recruiting chops have been on full display at BC. He’s played a big role in the acquisition of transfers, namely UMD’s Deon Jones—who he first recruited in College Park—and Florida State’s Jaiden Lars-Woodbey, a former five-star recruit. Additionally, Abdul-Rahim was instrumental in helping Hafley stitch together the Eagles’ 2021 recruiting class, which was the program’s highest-rated class since 2004, according to the Rivals database.
Of BC’s 26 signees, eight were recruited as defensive backs. Three of the Eagles’ top four recruits, in terms of Rivals Ratings, were DBs, including four-star corner CJ Burton, who flipped from Florida. Hafley made a point Tuesday, however, to emphasize that Abdul-Rahim represents more than just the work that he’s accomplished on the recruiting trail.
“He’s done an incredible job with our DBs,” Hafley said. “Everyone kind of talks about him as a really good recruiter, which he is, but he’s a better coach, and he’s a better person. And I think people are going to start to see that.”
Andy Backstrom
Staff Writer
Boston College defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim had an offer to be a Power Five defensive coordinator this year. He turned it down.
Instead, the Washington, D.C. native returned to BC with a promotion.
Second-year Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley announced Tuesday afternoon that Abdul-Rahim will be the team’s associate head coach this season.
“He deserves it,” Hafley said. “I go to him for a lot of different things. He’s got a great grasp of the team. He’s got a great feel for the team. I’m really excited for him and for his future here. And I’m very, very excited that he’s staying with us.”
Abdul-Rahim came over to BC last year after serving as UMass’ defensive coordinator in 2019. But he made a name for himself as a defensive backs coach at Maryland, where he developed a handful of All-Big Ten honorees and earned the reputation as one of the top recruiters in the country over the course of three seasons. In 2017 and 2018, Abdul-Rahim’s ballhawking secondaries piled up a combined 28 interceptions.
His recruiting chops have been on full display at BC. He’s played a big role in the acquisition of transfers, namely UMD’s Deon Jones—who he first recruited in College Park—and Florida State’s Jaiden Lars-Woodbey, a former five-star recruit. Additionally, Abdul-Rahim was instrumental in helping Hafley stitch together the Eagles’ 2021 recruiting class, which was the program’s highest-rated class since 2004, according to the Rivals database.
Of BC’s 26 signees, eight were recruited as defensive backs. Three of the Eagles’ top four recruits, in terms of Rivals Ratings, were DBs, including four-star corner CJ Burton, who flipped from Florida. Hafley made a point Tuesday, however, to emphasize that Abdul-Rahim represents more than just the work that he’s accomplished on the recruiting trail.
“He’s done an incredible job with our DBs,” Hafley said. “Everyone kind of talks about him as a really good recruiter, which he is, but he’s a better coach, and he’s a better person. And I think people are going to start to see that.”
