After just one season coaching at the high school level, Gulf Shores defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads is headed back to the college ranks.

The former Iowa State head coach and Auburn defensive coordinator is set to join the Boston College Eagles’ staff as the outside linebackers coach under Jeff Hafley.

The connection between Rhoads and Hafley goes back to the mid-2000s at the University of Pittsburgh where the former was the defensive coordinator and the latter was a defensive assistant for the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

The Dolphins are fresh off their longest season in history where they won all of their home games for only the second time and earned the team’s home playoff game and first 10-win season.

In 2022, Gulf Shores’ defensive unit registered an average point allowance of 18.5 points per game which ranked third all-time behind only the 2009 team that won the school’s first playoff game and last year’s squad that allowed only 176 total points over the 10-game season. The Dolphins allowed fewer than 20 points per game in a season for only the sixth time in program history.

Boston College finished 3-9 last season with a 2-6 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference where opponents registered 364 points over 12 games for an average of 30.33 points per game. The Eagles outtackled their opponents 784-731 led by graduate linebacker Vinny DePalma’s 87 total tackles.