| Jacksonville Jaguars | |
|---|---|
| Title | Pass game specialist |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1984-08-18)August 18, 1984 (age 41) |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Okemos (MI) |
| College | Michigan State (2003–2007) |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
John Van Dam (born August 18, 1984) is an Americanfootball coach and former player who currently serves as the pass game specialist for theJacksonville Jaguars of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theMichigan State Spartans and has previously coached theAugustana (South Dakota) Vikings,Alabama Crimson Tide,Michigan Wolverines,Florida Gators,Southern Illinois Salukis andLafayette Leopards.
Van Dam was born on August 18, 1984, and grew up inEast Lansing, Michigan.[1] He attendedOkemos High School where he was a member of the football, lacrosse and track and field teams.[1] He playedquarterback andoutside linebacker in football and had 179 passing yards and 11tackles as asenior.[1]
Van Dam was awalk-on quarterback with theMichigan State Spartans, where his father had been an assistant coach.[2] He played five seasons for Michigan State and backed-up several futureNational Football League (NFL) players, includingNick Foles,Drew Stanton,Brian Hoyer andKirk Cousins.[1][3] He appeared in one game each in hisfreshman,sophomore andjunior years for the Spartans.[1]
Van Dam began his coaching career with theAugustana Vikings (South Dakota) in 2008, serving for two seasons as agraduate assistant andtight ends coach before moving towide receivers coach in 2010, a position he remained in through 2011.[4] He helped Augustana reach consecutiveMineral Water Bowls in 2008 and 2009 and they made their first playoff appearance in over 20 years in 2010.[3]
After his stint at Augustana, Van Dam served two years as a graduate assistant for theAlabama Crimson Tide and helped them win a national championship.[3] He followedDoug Nussmeier to theMichigan Wolverines in 2014, being named an offensive quality control assistant.[5][6] The following year, Van Dam served as assistant quarterbacks coach and offensive quality control assistant for theFlorida Gators.[7] He becameoffensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for theSouthern Illinois Salukis in 2016, helping them have a top offense in the conference in his two years there.[3][8] He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for theLafayette Leopards for one season in 2018.[3][9]
In 2019, Van Dam moved to the professional ranks and was hired by theTampa Bay Buccaneers as an offensive quality control coach.[3] He helped them winSuper Bowl LV in 2020 and received a promotion to assistant tight ends coach in 2021.[3][10] He was promoted to head tight ends coach in 2022.[11] He was among the candidates the team interviewed for their offensive coordinator position in 2024.[12]
On February 6, 2025, theJacksonville Jaguars hired Van Dam to serve as their pass game specialist.[13]
