Mike Priefer has joined the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff as assistant special teams coach. Priefer, who will work with special teams coordinator John Bonamego, is a Naval Academy graduate who has been coaching at the collegiate level for the past eight years after playing quarterback and wide receiver on Navy's lightweight team. He later flew helicopters at NAS Jacksonville as a Naval Officer.

"Mike Priefer is an impressive young coach with a solid background in special teams," said Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin. "He has gained experience in a variety of areas as a college coach, and he will be a very good addition to our special teams."

The 35-year-old Priefer spent the past two seasons at Northern Illinois, where he was defensive tackles coach and also worked with the special teams, working with the punters, punt block and field goal block teams. In 1999 Priefer served as inside linebackers/special teams coordinator at Virginia Military Institute. That followed a two-year stint at Youngstown State, where Priefer was tackles/tight ends coach and also assistant special teams coordinator.

Priefer began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Navy in 1994. In all three seasons as a Navy coach he worked with special teams, serving as the kickers, punter and snappers coach for the Varsity squad in 1994, and the Junior Varsity defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator in 1995 and 1996.

Priefer graduated from the Naval Academy with a B.S. in economics in 1989. He earned a master's degree in management from the University of Maryland in 1997. Priefer and his wife Debbie have four children. His father, Chuck, has been special teams coach with the Detroit Lions for the last five years.