If the Miami Dolphins want a fiery, intense coach at the top, they just added a candidate to their interview list that will be tough to beat in that department.
The Dolphins have requested to interview Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile for their head coaching vacancy, according to a league source.
If the name sounds familiar, Campanile had a four-year tenure as Dolphins linebackers coach from 2020 through 2023, which spanned time under ex-coaches Brian Flores and Mike McDaniel.
Beyond the Dolphins connection, Campanile was also in Green Bay with new Miami general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan in 2024. He was linebackers coach and run game coordinator for the Packers that season, moving on from the Dolphins after interviewing for the defensive coordinator job vacated by Vic Fangio that ultimately went to Anthony Weaver.
It only took Campanile that one season to reach the coordinator ranks, and he did an impressive job running his own defense. The Jaguars, in 2025, were second in takeaways, eighth in scoring defense and 11th in total defense as Jacksonville won the AFC South and reached the playoffs, losing Sunday to the Buffalo Bills.
In Miami, Campanile had a viral moment leading a team meeting before a week of practice got started. He fired off an intense, expletive-laced motivational speech stressing the importance of pursuit within the framework of plays on the field.
Campanile went to the Dolphins in 2020 after being linebackers coach at Michigan in 2019.
The New Jersey native was an assistant at Boston College and Rutgers for years before that.
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After a college playing career at Rutgers, he coached high school football in New Jersey at his hometown alma mater Fair Lawn High and then at storied Don Bosco Prep.
Campanile becomes the 10th head coaching candidate for the Dolphins since firing McDaniel last week and hiring Sullivan to fill the role left behind by ex-GM Chris Grier.
The first five, which were revealed Saturday, were former Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, former Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and former Jets coach Robert Saleh, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
On Sunday, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was added to the mix. On Monday, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, who once played for Miami, was requested for interview. Tuesday saw two more names surface: Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
The Dolphins, on Wednesday morning, announced they completed a head coach interview with Stefanski. It marked the completion of their first interview since starting the process.
This story will be updated.
