Dave Canales is a person who? The head coach of the Carolina Panthers will be of Mexican-American descent.
Is Bryce Young able to follow in the footsteps of Russell Wilson and Baker Mayfield?
Dave Canales will be the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers, the team announced on Thursday.
Canales will take over for Frank Reich, who was let go in November following the Panthers’ 1-10 start. Reich previously held this position. After Chris Tabor, the special teams coach, was named temporary head coach, the team finished with the lowest record in the league, 2-15.
Canales has worked with Mayfield, Wilson, and Geno Smith in the past and owns a Super Bowl ring. In addition, he will be the league’s only Latino or Hispanic head coach.
Dave Canales comes to the Panthers after one season as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He coached quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans, helping lead the team to its third straight NFC South title and a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Prior to that, Canales was a member of the Seattle Seahawks‘ coaching staff for 13 seasons. He climbed the ranks from offensive quality control coach to quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator where he worked with nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson and developed Geno Smith, who got his first Pro Bowl nod and a nice new deal in Canales’ last season with the Seahawks. He won Super Bowl 48 when Seattle blew out the Denver Broncos, 43-8.
Canales cut his chops in the college ranks, serving as an assistant coach at USC for one season and holding multiple positions at El Camino College in California. He developed a relationship with Pete Carroll, who he worked under at USC and then gave him his first NFL job, by working as a coach at Carroll’s camps.
He got his first coaching job at his alma mater, Carson High School, where he was head freshman/sophomore coach and offensive coordinator.
