Mike Macdonald: The right man for the job

John Schneider, the general manager of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL, had barely sat down when he was already celebrating.

“Welcome to Mike Macdonald Day!” he announced. It was Thursday, February 1, 2024. The day before, Schneider Macdonald had signed a six-year contract as the Seahawks' new head coach. This was his introduction to the local media.

It is the final step in a remarkable journey for Macdonald BBA '10, MS '13a Double Dawg and former UGA assistant coach. At the time of his hiring, Macdonald had just spent two years as defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Today, at 36, Macdonald is the youngest head coach in the NFL.

“When I hear that I've risen through the ranks really quickly, it makes me feel a little uncomfortable because that's not really the goal,” Macdonald said. “You try to be as helpful to the team as you can in your role. And ultimately, as your role and responsibility increase, you're better able to do that, you know? That's the mentality you have to have.”

Born in Boston and raised in Roswell, Macdonald played baseball and football at Centennial High School, but ended his playing career during his senior year due to injuries.

While a student at the University of Georgia, Macdonald took his first job as defensive coordinator – with the freshman team at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens. The job reunited Macdonald with Xarvia Smith, the head coach of the Cedar Shoals Jaguars and Macdonald's former coach at Centennial.

Macdonald quickly got used to his role. In seven games, the ninth-graders from Cedar Shoals kept their opponents clean sheets six times.

“That was probably the most fun I had as a coach,” Macdonald said in a 2021 interview. The following year, he coached the varsity team's linebackers and running backs.

As Macdonald learned to coach players under Smith, the head coach recognized something special in his protégé.

“You just knew what was going to happen, given his leadership, his ambition and his work ethic,” Smith told Seattle radio station KJR. The two stay in touch today via text message, and Macdonald also maintains contact with several former Cedar Shoals players.

In 2010, just months after graduating summa cum laude with a degree in finance from the Terry College of Business, Macdonald joined then-head coach Mark Richt as a graduate assistant. After a year, he was promoted to assistant defensive quality control coach. In 2013, he earned his second UGA degree, a master's degree in sports management, with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

“He was sharp,” Richt says of Macdonald. “Very mature and responsible. He was ready for the role. He could handle anything we gave Mike.”

Macdonald joined the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff as an intern and was soon promoted to defensive assistant (2015), then defensive backs coach (2017), and finally linebackers coach (2018).

In 2020, Jim Harbaugh, the brother of the Ravens head coach, hired Macdonald as defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan.

In his only year with the Wolverines, Macdonald led a defense that had ranked 87th nationally in yards allowed per game the previous year and turned it into a top-10 team. It was also during this time that Macdonald played against the University of Georgia for the only time.

Preparing for this 2021 College Football Playoff semifinal matchup at the Orange Bowl gave Macdonald an opportunity to reflect on his time as a Georgia assistant.

“We did everything. We set tables for dinner, whatever you want,” he said at the time. “But yeah, those were great days. I mean, just learning from Coach Richt and Coach, [Todd] Grantham and Coach [Mike] Bobo, and that's what makes an organization. Being there from the beginning and doing everything you can to help the team win was really valuable.”

“He was sharp. Very mature and responsible. He was ready for the role. He could handle anything we gave Mike.” – Former UGA head coach Mark Richt, who hired Mike Macdonald as an assistant for the Bulldogs in 2010

Michigan lost that game, a key step on Georgia's path to its third national title. It was also the last college game Macdonald coached up to that point. He returned to the Ravens as defensive coordinator in 2022. The results were record-breaking.

The 2023 Ravens became the first team in NFL history to rank first in scoring defense, sacks and takeaways in the same season. The Ravens made the AFC Championship and the Pro Football Writers of America named Macdonald the 2023 Assistant Coach of the Year.

Macdonald was a coveted talent in the offseason. Six teams, including the Seahawks, inquired about his availability. And Seattle responded quickly, announcing his hiring less than 72 hours after Macdonald's first interview with the team.

“My plan is to be myself every day,” Macdonald said. “It's not a facade. It's all about the good of the team, the good of the players and how we can be successful.”