SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Chip Kelly era is officially underway for the San Francisco 49ers. He and his coaching staff will look to right the ship for a franchise that finished at the bottom of the NFC West table for the first time since 2005, with the youngest and least experience trio of coordinators in the league.
Curtis Modkins, 45, Jim O’Neil, 37, and Derius Swinton, 30.
Swinton is the league’s youngest special teams coordinator, and O’Neil is the league’s second-youngest defensive coordinator, he also spent the past two seasons running the defense for the Cleveland Browns. Modkins, who will serve as the team’s offensive coordinator, served the Buffalo Bills in the same capacity from 2010-12, though he will not be the 49ers play-caller; Kelly will assume that role.
Next in line with the youngest group of coordinators are the New England Patriots, with an average age of 38.
However, San Francisco’s coordinators combine for the fewest amount of years spent in their current positions — a total of five seasons of NFL experience. Last season, the 49ers coordinators — Geep Chryst, Eric Mangini and Thomas McGauhey — had each served four seasons in the NFL as a coordinator. Mangini also previously served five seasons as a head coach.
