The Green Bay Packers have promoted Ryan Mahaffey to assistant offensive line coach on Feb. 1, 2022.
Mahaffey (muh-haff-ee) joined the Packers last year as an offensive quality control coach. He came to Green Bay after coaching in college from 2013-20. The former tight end/fullback at Northern Iowa (2007-10) spent the 2019-20 seasons at his alma mater as the offensive coordinator. Mahaffey also worked as the recruiting coordinator/tight ends (2013) and co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers (2016) at UNI. Between those stints, he was a graduate assistant/wide receivers coach at Notre Dame (2014-15) and the tight ends coach at Western Kentucky (2017-18). After his collegiate playing career, Mahaffey signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and appeared in five games that season for the Indianapolis Colts. In 2012, he spent some time with the Miami Dolphins.
Ryan Mahaffey begins his first season as an offensive quality control coach with the Packers, having been named to the position on March 1, 2021. Mahaffey (pronounced muh-haff-ee) joins the team after two years as the offensive coordinator (2019-20) at Northern Iowa.
In Mahaffey's first season leading the offense in 2019, the Panthers tied a school record with eight home wins, finished No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with a 6-2 conference record and advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) quarterfinals, ending the season with a No. 5 national ranking. QB Will McElvain threw for an MVFC freshman-record 2,778 yards and 20 TDs and was named a third-team All-American by Phil Steele's College Football and a Jerry Rice National Freshman of the Year semifinalist. WR Isaiah Weston was a first-team All-MVFC selection after recording 43 catches for 1,053 yards (FCS-best 24.49 avg.).
From 2017-18, Mahaffey spent two seasons as the tight ends coach at Western Kentucky. During the 2018 season, Mahaffey helped TE Mik'Quan Deane earn second-team All-Conference USA honors after leading the team in receiving TDs (six) while ranking No. 2 in receptions (44) and receiving yards (530).
In his first season with the Hilltoppers in 2017, Mahaffey's TEs helped the WKU offense rank No. 7 nationally in passing yards per game (335.0) and No. 8 in completion percentage (66.0). TE Deon Yelder posted 688 receiving yards and 52 points scored, both single-season school records among TEs. A fifth-year senior and former walk-on who had not recorded a reception prior to the 2017 season, Yelder was invited to play in the 2017 Reese's Senior Bowl and has appeared in 26 career games for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mahaffey arrived at Western Kentucky after serving as Northern Iowa's co-offensive coordinator/WRs coach in 2016. He helped three offensive players pick up all-MVFC honors for the Panthers in 2016, including OL Trevor Hanson (second team), OL Robert Rathje (second team) and RB Michael Malloy (honorable mention). He also coached WR Daurice Fountain, a fifth-round selection (No. 159 overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Prior to returning to UNI, Mahaffey spent two years (2014-15) as a graduate assistant/WRs coach at Notre Dame, where he worked with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who coached the Fighting Irish's quarterbacks in 2014. During his stint in South Bend, Mahaffey helped coach WR Will Fuller, who was named a second-team All-American by The Associated Press following the 2015 season and was selected by the Houston Texans with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Mahaffey gained his first coaching experience with Northern Iowa in 2013, when he served as the recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach.
A former fullback/tight end, Mahaffey signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in June 2011 and went on to appear in five games that season with the Indianapolis Colts. He also spent time with the Miami Dolphins in 2012.
Mahaffey played in 51 career games with 43 starts at Northern Iowa, recording 28 catches for 251 yards (9.0 avg.) and six TDs. He was a two-time second-team All-MVFC selection and was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer team as a redshirt freshman in 2007. He was also named to the MVFC All-Academic team twice in his career.
Mahaffey was born on Nov. 28, 1987, in Des Moines, Iowa. He and his wife, Molly, live in De Pere, Wis., with their son, Trace, and daughter, Jordan (JoJo).
