DAVID HUGHES: Only 34, Terre Haute North grad Chris O'Leary already an NFL D-coordinator

Like a lot of Terre Haute youngsters growing up in the early 2000s, Chris O'Leary spent plenty of hot summer days trying to get Peyton Manning's autograph during the Indianapolis Colts' preseason training camps at Rose-Hulman. Those took place here for 11 consecutive years (1999-2009). But O'Leary — usually joined by his father Patrick and brothers Marc, Dan and Matt — didn't just focus on the future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback with the large forehead and even larger ability to stage miraculous comebacks. Chris also noticed Dwight Freeney (another future Hall of Famer), Robert Mathis, Bob Sanders and Cato June on the defensive side of the football. "I was a diehard Colts fan when I was in elementary school [at Sugar Grove] and middle school [at Woodrow Wilson]," Chris O'Leary said during a recent phone interview. So when O'Leary went into coaching after playing quarterback for Terre Haute North High School (graduating in 2010) and QB and wide receiver for Indiana State (2011-14 after sitting out 2010 as a redshirt freshman, majoring in physical education), he decided to try the defensive side of the football himself. And he never looked back. First, young O'Leary was a graduate assistant working with the D-line at Georgia State (2015-16). Then he became the safeties coach at Florida Tech (2017), then a defensive analyst/defensive grad assistant at Notre Dame (2018-20) followed by a switch to safeties coach with the Fighting Irish (2021-23). Then O'Leary made a big jump, taking the job as safeties coach for first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter — an ISU assistant coach to Trent Miles when O'Leary played for the Sycamores — with the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. But seeing an opportunity to become a defensive coordinator at an FBS college, Western Michigan, O'Leary bolted there for one season in 2025. Little did O'Leary know, however, Minter would apply for the Baltimore Ravens' head-coaching position after they parted ways with longtime field boss John Harbaugh (Jim's brother) following the 2025 season. Minter was hired by the Ravens in January 2026, thus creating an opening for the Chargers' D-coordinator job. You guessed it. Jim Harbaugh brought O'Leary back to the Chargers to serve an even higher position on his staff. Only 34, Chris O'Leary is already an NFL defensive coordinator. I I I While I had O'Leary on the phone during a break in practice, I asked him to describe three major influences on his football career — Minter, Miles and Jim Harbaugh. • On Minter: "Jesse has been a mentor of mine in coaching. I really view him as the one who taught me defensive football, taught me at my first stop [Georgia State, where Minter coordinated the defense for Miles after they left ISU] how to operate as a coach. Ever since then, I had stayed in touch with him two or three times a year. Then, obviously in 2024, I was able to work with him out in L.A. He's meant everything to me in coaching." Did Minter put in a good word for O'Leary before the Chargers hired him to take Minter's place as D-coordinator? O'Leary replied: "I would assume. I would assume." "I think his success here obviously correlated with me getting the job," O'Leary added. "They had a good defense in place, a good culture. He did an unbelievable job." • On Miles, ISU's head coach for five seasons (2008-12): "When I think about how grateful I am to be where I'm at right now, he's at the top of the list [of people to thank]. I had one scholarship offer coming out of high school and it was from Trent Miles. For me, that meant everything. A lot of people didn't believe in me as a player. He did and he stuck with me. Then as a coach, he was the one guy who gave me a job opportunity out of college [at Georgia State]. I owe him as much as anybody as far as getting my start and getting the opportunities that kinda led to this [coaching in the NFL]. He's been unbelievable in my journey and my career." O'Leary also praised the quality of coaches whom Miles hired around him. "The connections I made through that have really played a big part in my career," O'Leary emphasized. He noted that he and Miles worked together long enough at Notre Dame to say "hi and bye." At about the same time O'Leary chose to leave South Bend for his first stint with the Chargers in 2024, Miles had just been hired as a senior offensive analyst with the Fighting Irish, a position Miles continues to hold. • On Jim Harbaugh, who guided Michigan to the College Football Playoff national championship in January 2024: "Coach Harbaugh is a great leader of men. He loves football and loves competing. And for me, those are two things I love … We mesh well together. I will learn a lot from him day in and day out." O'Leary remains grateful that Harbaugh showed zero hard feelings when he left the Chargers after his first stint to become Western Michigan's D-coordinator. "He was probably the most supportive or one of the most supportive coaches I had through that transition," O'Leary mentioned. I I I The Chargers' 2026 regular season will kick off Sept. 13 with a home game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. They'll get to say hi to Minter on Monday, Nov. 16, when they visit Baltimore to face the Ravens. They have no games against the Colts, Chicago Bears or Cincinnati Bengals, so driving to watch O'Leary coach on the sideline will be difficult. Regardless of which teams are on their slate, saying O'Leary is looking forward to this season would be a major understatement. "We have unbelievable players," he assessed. "The culture here is tremendous. Our guys are hungry to compete and hungry to win. And that manifests each day in how they work. … Our coaching staff is incredible. Of our five position coaches, I think they're five of the best in the world. They're experts at their positions." In 2025, the Chargers finished with an 11-6 regular-season record, three games behind the AFC West-winning Denver Broncos. L.A. lost to the New England Patriots 16-3 during wild-card weekend in January 2026. O'Leary, who claims he knew when he was in second or third grade that he wanted to be a coach someday, says he's "extremely excited" about what lies ahead for himself and the Chargers. When he's not on the field or in team meetings, Chris O'Leary lives with his wife Jessie — another Terre Haute North grad — and their sons Jack (6), Grant (3) and Ford (just turned 1) in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.