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DAVIS, Calif. – The month of January has been an exciting one for two Aggie legends who continue to enjoy nothing but success in their respective NFL coaching careers.
 
Ejiro Evero, who graduated from UC Davis in 2004, is the Rams' safeties coach, and is busy preparing his team for Sunday's Super Bowl LIII. In his second season on staff, he coached a group of safeties that ranked fifth among all NFL teams with 28 takeaways, which fueled the L.A.'s first playoff run and inaugural Super Bowl appearance since returning in 2016.
 
"My time at UC Davis really prepared me for this moment because my teammates and coaches, when I competed for the Aggies, showed me the type of work ethic to be successful.  The biggest challenge this week is [finding ways] to defend an all-time great quarterback. Not only is he a talented thrower, he is extremely smart and won't be rattled," Evero said.
 
"His upbringing taught him tremendous discipline and toughness," said Bob Biggs, Evero's coach throughout his four years at UC Davis. "He was a two-time captain for us, elected by his teammates. He was a tremendous competitor despite his very even personality. Someone that was greatly respected by everyone but also very well liked.
 
"You could see he had the right qualities to succeed in coaching even during his early start coaching with us. Not only is he bright, hard-working and loyal but he is a great communicator.  To witness his journey as a coach and now husband and father has been very gratifying," added Biggs.
 
After competing for Biggs as a student-athlete, Evero joined his staff in 2005 as the Aggies' secondary coach and helped the team win a Great West Conference championship.
 
That year, he also served as the defensive backs coach for Davis High School's junior varsity team. Throughout his years in Davis, as both a player and a coach, Evero built the foundation for a coaching career that flourished at every location.
 
Prior to joining the Rams, Evero was a member of the Green Bay Packers' coaching staff, a position he held after spending the previous five years as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers.
 
"No matter where he coaches, he seems to always be on a winning team," said Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nate Hackett. "It's unbelievable: Tampa reached the playoffs, he coached in two NFC Championships, made one Super Bowl appearance with the 49ers and now two phenomenal years at the Rams, which includes another trip to the Super Bowl.  Not a lot of coaches can put this kind of team success on their resume. Plain and simple, he's winner."
 
Hackett added, "He coached numerous positions in all three phases throughout his career: special teams, defense and offense. Even though his passion was always defense, he showed incredible perseverance and patience in other coaching positions because he eagerly learned and mastered how to teach all facets of the game.
 
"No matter his role, he kept his head down and did his jobs to the best of his ability. Everywhere he has gone, he has made an amazing impression on organizations and the people within them."
 
During his time with the Packers, Evero worked closely with defensive coordinator Dom Capers and played a key role in his team's season-ending six-game win streak, the longest to end the season since the Packers won their last nine in a row in 1941.
 
With that run, the Packers earned a berth in the 2016 NFC Wild Card game.
 
Throughout his NFL coaching career, which started in 2007 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and continued with the 49ers (starting in 2011), Evero worked alongside some of the most brilliant and well-respected coaches in the history of the league — a list that includes Jon Gruden, Jim Harbaugh, Capers and Sean McVay.
 
"I've learned a lot from some great head coaches, and numerous outstanding assistant coaches as well. Coach Harbaugh gave me an opportunity to lead his offense, which helped me grow as a coach. Seeing how elite coaches communicate and relate to their players was the most important element I learned from my time with each individual."
 
"As good of a coach as he is," said Hackett, "he's an even better person.  He has been a great friend through the years, always being there for me and my family. He's a great sounding board about football and we love talking about life and family. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have such an amazing guy in my life."
 
Hackett and Evero have numerous things to celebrate this month: In addition to the latter's upcoming Super Bowl appearance, the former recently became the Green Bay Packers' new offensive coordinator.
 
Possessing extensive coaching experience at the NFL and college levels, Hackett joins Green Bay after leading the Jacksonville Jaguars' historic turnaround in 2017.
 
That season, Jacksonville ranked fifth in scoring (26.1 points per game) with Blake Bortles at quarterback; Bortles thrived under Hackett by setting new single-season team records in passing touchdowns (35), passing yards (4,428), completions (335) and attempts (606).
 
For the first time in franchise history, Jacksonville possessed the league's No. 1 rushing offense; combined with Bortles' stellar play the Jaguars advanced to the AFC Championship Game.
 
As was the case with his father, Paul, Nathaniel was a football student-athlete throughout his undergraduate career at UC Davis. During his four years as an Aggie, the younger Hackett played linebacker, handled long snapping duties and competed in the postseason in each of his four years on campus. When he graduated, his teams finished with a collective 41-9 record.

The recipient of the George Belenis Award in 1998 as the team's Most Outstanding Redshirt, Hackett capped his outstanding college career by earning the Aggie Pride Award as a senior in 2002.
 
Shortly after he graduated, Hackett became UC Davis' assistant linebackers coach, helping Biggs extend what ultimately became the program's 37-year streak of winning records, in UC Davis' final season as a Division II independent.
 
Following his time as an Aggie assistant coach, Hackett joined Stanford's coaching staff in a similar role, then held his first NFL position three years later when he joined the Buccaneers as its offensive quality control.
 
Starting in 2008, Hackett spent six years in New York; after moving to the state for the Buffalo Bills' offensive quality control position, one he held until 2010, he returned to the college ranks as Syracuse's quarterback/passing game and tight ends coach.
 
Elevated to offensive coordinator during his last two seasons with the Orange, he returned to the Bills in 2013 and served as the team's offensive coordinator for the next two seasons.
 
During his second tenure in Buffalo, it was his direction that helped the team finish with its highest passer rating in 12 seasons, and record 33 big plays (25 yards or more) in 2014 — the sixth-highest total among all league teams that year and the most by the Bills since 2000.
 
That season, Buffalo's quarterbacks threw only 13 interceptions combined, the third-fewest in franchise history.
 
 
 
 
AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation.
 
Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley.
 
The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.