In 2012, Hafley made his NFL coaching debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He joined the Bucs as assistant defensive backs coach and spent 2013 as the secondary coach/safeties. In 2013, Hafley oversaw a unit which helped Tampa Bay finish tied for third in the NFL with 21 interceptions.[citation needed] On January 27, 2014, Hafley was hired by the Cleveland Browns to coach the secondary. Hafley would remain in this role for 2 seasons (2014–15), before being relieved of his duties due to a coaching overhaul.[citation needed] On January 24, 2016, Hafley was hired by San Francisco 49ers' new head coach Chip Kelly to coach the defensive backs.[8] In 2019, he was hired to be the co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State. Hafley quickly established himself as one of the best recruiters in the country, being ranked ninth overall recruiter for the 2020 class by 247Sports.com.[9] On December 13, 2019, he was hired to be the head coach at Boston College after the firing of Steve Addazio.[10]