Welcome back to Wisconsin, Sam Siefkes. The Packers have a new linebackers coach for 2026, and unsurprisingly, it's someone Jonathan Gannon knows well. This will be Siefkes' second stint coaching linebackers at the NFL level, stepping in for Sean Duggan, who departed in January as part of the offseason coaching carousel. Duggan landed in Miami as the defensive coordinator on Jeff Hafley's staff.

When it became clear the Packers needed a replacement, several names surfaced — Siefkes among them, largely due to his existing relationship with Gannon. At 34 years old, Siefkes arrives in Green Bay with nearly fifteen years of coaching experience under his belt, though only four of those came at the NFL level. He's not the most seasoned option they could have pursued, but experience isn't the only thing worth valuing in a hire.

For Siefkes, this one is personal. He's a Wisconsin native who grew up here, went to college here, and launched his coaching career here. "It means a lot. I grew up watching, obviously, Green Bay, and that was what we did every Sunday," he said earlier this month. The Packers will actually be the fourth Wisconsin-based team he's coached for — a full-circle moment for a guy who's spent most of his life in the state he now gets to represent at the highest level.

Back Where It All Began

Sam Siefkes' journey back to Wisconsin started, fittingly, in Wisconsin. He grew up in Oconomowoc, where he played both football and lacrosse in high school before continuing his playing career at UW-La Crosse. Injuries cut that short, so Siefkes pivoted to coaching. His first coaching role came as a student assistant, working with defensive backs, linebackers, and specialists.

Siefkes also made the most of his time in the classroom. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science from UWL. He gained additional experience as an assistant intern strength coach at the Air Force Academy, a background in sports science and nutrition that provided a different perspective than that of a typical linebackers coach.

His formal coaching career kicked off in 2014 at Florida International under Josh Conklin as a defensive quality control coach. Siefkes later reflected on just how early he was immersed in the profession: "I had just gotten done doing an internship at Florida International, and then I went back to my school at UW-La Crosse to finish up what would have been my senior year. I had already been coaching for three years by the time I was 21 years old."

He returned to Wisconsin the following season, joining Paul Chryst's staff at UW-Madison as a defensive graduate assistant, where he worked directly under defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. His first shot at running his own defense came in 2016 at UW-Platteville, where he served as defensive coordinator for two seasons. The results were strong — the team went 15-6, and its defense forced three shutouts and held opponents to just 18.9 points per game in 2017.

That success earned him a reunion with Conklin at Wofford, where Siefkes spent two more seasons as defensive coordinator. Both years, his unit finished atop the Southern Conference in defense. In 2018, Wofford ranked 12th in total defense among all FCS schools and 8th in scoring defense. They slipped slightly in 2019 but still finished 20th in total defense. Siefkes was consistently putting together strong defenses at the college level.

New Packers LB coach Sam Siefkes on being a Wisconsin native coaching the Packers: “It means a lot. I grew up watching, obviously, Green Bay, and that was what we did every Sunday.” pic.twitter.com/ukUaRzKJMJ

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) May 5, 2026

Siefkes made the jump to the NFL in 2021 as a defensive quality control coach with Mike Zimmer and the Minnesota Vikings. When Zimmer left, and Kevin O'Connell took over, Siefkes wasn't just retained — he was promoted to assistant linebackers coach. In Minnesota, he also crossed paths with former Packers coaches Mike Pettine and Mike Smith, and worked directly with linebackers Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks, both of whom topped 125 tackles during his time there.

His first opportunity to work alongside Jonathan Gannon came in Arizona, where Gannon hired him to coach linebackers in 2023. Siefkes held the role for two seasons. His most notable player there was Kyzir White, who recorded 137 tackles in 2024 — good for 15th in the NFL. That said, White's 48.4 PFF grade ranked fourth-lowest among linebackers who played at least 600 snaps that season, which is a fair thing to consider when evaluating Siefkes' body of work in Arizona.

Before landing in Green Bay, Siefkes made one more stop — a one-year stint as defensive coordinator at Virginia Tech. Head coach Brent Pry was fired after a 3-9 start and replaced by James Franklin, who didn't retain Siefkes. That opened the door for a reunion with Gannon, and Siefkes found himself heading home to Wisconsin.

High Praise From The Higher Ups

Siefkes has worked under some sharp defensive minds throughout his career, and many have been generous with their praise. Gannon set the tone when Siefkes was hired as defensive coordinator at Virginia Tech: "He is a great coach and even better person. He will bring competitive stamina and a ton of juice…Be ready to see an aggressive, smart, tough unit that will dominate games."

Mike Zimmer offered similar thoughts, despite only sharing a sideline with Siefkes for one season in Minnesota. "I relied on him a ton when I was the head coach in Minnesota," Zimmer said. "He's a great person with a great family, extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of football. Sam is an incredible teacher who gets the best out of his players." Kevin O'Connell, who worked with Siefkes the following season, echoed the sentiment: "Sam Siefkes is one of the best young coaches I have been fortunate enough to coach with — a true rising star in the coaching world. He is smart, connects with players, and has a dynamic scheme background that will allow him to build something special and challenging to play against, week in and week out."

The praise isn't limited to his NFL bosses, either. Dave Aranda, who worked alongside Siefkes when he was a graduate assistant at UW-Madison, offered this: "His mind, work ethic, and passion for the game stood out right away. Sam is a tremendous leader who connects with his players and brings the best out of them on and off the field…Fans are going to love the energy and expertise he brings to their program." When coaches at every level of the game are singing his praises, that says something.

VT got them one. 😢

Great coach, even better person. Can't wait to see my guy Sam flourish. 🚀❤️ https://t.co/uiZL0wWClO

— Rocketship 🚀 (@MackWilson) January 28, 2025

A Teacher at the Core

Siefkes now turns his attention to helping the Packers' linebacking corps bounce back after an up-and-down 2024 season. His approach to the job is rooted in something straightforward — teaching. "One of J.G.'s things is, it's our job as coaches to make sure that we serve the players at all facets as we can," Siefkes said. "My thing as a teacher is, I want to make sure that I'm hitting all the different learning styles that guys have. Not all guys learn the same. Coaches don't learn the same, and players don't learn the same. So, my job is to cater to all of the players."

He'll have plenty to work with — and plenty to figure out. Zaire Franklin steps in as the new signal caller in the middle after Quay Walker, the former defensive captain, departed for Las Vegas. Edgerrin Cooper will be looking to take the next step in his development. And Siefkes has already made clear that catering to each player individually is non-negotiable. "So, however Duff learns, or Coop learns, or Zaire or Hop, or whoever it might be, I need to make sure that I cater to their learning style to give them the best possibility to play well — that's important to me." Isaiah McDuffie, Ty'Ron Hopper, and Nick Niemann round out a corps that needs to take a meaningful step forward in 2026.

Siefkes has thought a lot about what drew him to coaching in the first place. "Teaching is kind of my passion. That's why I got into coaching," he said. That passion, combined with his Wisconsin roots, made this opportunity feel like something more than just another job. The Packers are getting a young, highly knowledgeable, and competitive coach — but at his core, Sam Siefkes is a teacher. Given where this linebacking corps needs to go, that might be exactly what they need.