EAGAN, Minn — New Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has officially landed in Minnesota. Fresh off a Super Bowl LVI win with the Los Angeles Rams, O'Connell will introduce himself to Vikings fans at a 4 p.m. press conference Thursday.
O'Connell started his NFL coaching career as Cleveland's quarterbacks coach in 2015 before he moved to to San Francisco to work in quality control with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings new General Manager. Then O'Connell went to Washington and worked with current Vikings QB Kirk Cousins.
He was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2019 season before signing on with the Rams.
But O'Connell isn't the only new face in town. The Vikings have hired nine new coaches to join O'Connell's staff, including a new defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
Get to know the newest additions to Minnesota's staff below, and click here to view their full bios:
Mike Pettine – Assistant Head Coach
Pettine has worked with O'Connell twice in the past, when O'Connell played for the Jets and when they both coached in Cleveland. During the 2021 season, Pettine was the senior defensive assistant for the Chicago Bears and comes to the Vikings with 28 seasons of overall coaching experience.
Ed Donatell – Defensive Coordinator
Donatell joins the Vikings for his 32nd season in the NFL. Throughout his time in the league, Donatell helped coach teams to 13 playoff appearances and three Super Bowls.
Chris Rumph – Defensive Line
In his 20 years of coaching, Rumph spent 18 in the collegiate ranks and two in the NFL. Last season he was the defensive coach for the Chicago Bears and before that, the outside linebackers coach for the Houston Texans.
Chris Kuper – Offensive Line
Kuper joins the Vikings after spending the last three seasons in Denver working as the assistant offensive line coach. Before his tenure with the Broncos, Kuper was with the Miami Dolphins in the same role, and played eight years in the NFL with the Broncos.
Justin Rascati – Assistant Offensive Line
Rascati also comes from Denver, where also worked with Kuper on the offensive line. In 2019, the Broncos offensive line had three players that started all 16 games and was part of the staff that helped Phillip Lindsay rush for more than 1,000 yards.
Brian Angelichio – Tight Ends/Passing Game Coordinator
Angelicho has also worked with head coach Kevin O'Connell before joining the Vikings: in 2019 in Washington and in 2015 in Cleveland. This is Angelichio's first time adding passing game coordinator to his role.
Curtis Modkins – Running Backs/Running Game Coordinator
The 27-year coaching veteran joins the Vikings from Denver, but Modkins has worked with seven teams since starting with the NFL in 2008, and has offensive coordinator experience with the Bills and 49ers.
Chris O’Hara – Quarterbacks Coach
O'Hara has 13 years of coaching experience, eight in the NFL, but 2022 will be his first seasons as a position coach. He was an offensive assistant during the 2021 season for the Los Angeles Rams and helped QB Matthew Stafford throw for the third-most passing yards and second-most touchdowns in the NFL.
Jerrod Johnson – Assistant Quarterbacks
After going undrafted in 2011, Johnson went on to play with Dallas, Baltimore, Chicago, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. This is his third season with the NFL, and he previously worked with the Indianapolis Colts as a Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellow and eventually the offensive quality control coach.
The Minnesota Vikings fired former head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman back in January after an underwhelming 2021-2022 season.
"The results speak for themselves... not satisfied, not where we want to be," co-owner Mark Wilf said.
The Vikings failed to reach the playoffs for a second consecutive season, and the team's performance on the field was characterized by a number of last-minute (or last-second) losses. Last season, 12 games were decided by a single score.
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