At just 37 years old, Kevin O’Connell has played in the NFL, dabbled in broadcasting, and transitioned to head coaching in the NFL, earning a Super Bowl ring as an offensive coordinator and recently completing his season as a head coach for the Minnesota Vikings. Starting his professional career as an NFL quarterback, O’Connell was Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick’s earliest quarterback selection in any NFL draft. Shortly into his first season playing for Belichick, O’Connell recognized his innate desire to coach. Having now worked with a wide range of players, O’Connell is incredibly well-seasoned in both life and career experiences. “He has always used every opportunity to get better, study the game, and improve his own abilities so that he could use that to encourage, motivate, and better those around him,” says his wife, Leah. Kevin O’Connell ensures that every individual he meets is treated with the same level of sincerity and respect. An incredibly genuine, optimistic individual who helps create a high-energy, united team environment, he understands the characteristics of a coach that are critical to leading a team that wins at the highest level. Off the field, Kevin and Leah O’Connell are parents of three: two sons, Kaden and Kolten, and their daughter, Quinn. Kevin is also a proud advocate for childhood cancer. For the past three consecutive seasons, he has worn custom-painted shoes for the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative to highlight nonprofits that support children battling cancer and fundraise for pediatric cancer research.

New York Jets Head Coach and the NFL’s first Muslim American head coach, Robert Saleh has been praised by Richard Sherman, former NFL cornerback, as a “great leader of men.” After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Northern Michigan, playing tight end and earning all-conference honors on the football team, Saleh entered his career as an NFL coach and exuberant leader on and off the field. Saleh is a family-oriented, highly admired father of seven children and brother to David, who was in the South Tower and escaped during the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Saleh’s first NFL break came with the Houston Texans in 2005, where he was brought in to serve as the quality-control coach for Gary Kubiak’s defense. Saleh’s enthusiasm captured the hearts of his players while his intellect won over the coaching staff, opening the doors for other NFL opportunities, which included a Super Bowl ring with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and a high- profile defensive coordinator position with the San Francisco 49ers; led by Saleh’s reliable defense, the storied franchise was able to make a Super Bowl run in 2019. After signing a five-year contract as head coach for the New York Jets at the start of 2021, Saleh hopes to bring greater diversity to his coaching staff and the league. Known for his high energy and hype on the sideline, Saleh’s highly respected impact on the NFL will be far greater than football. Off the field, he is a charismatic, captivating speaker, well known for his speech on the ‘10 Lessons of Coaching,’ and focuses on targeting conversations around identity, authenticity, humility, accountability and preparation. Robert Saleh is passionate and devoted to mentoring others both in and out of the locker room. With two years of head coaching under his belt in New York, Saleh is eager to find more speaking engagements and continue sharing his lessons for success.

Matt Rhule is a forward-thinking coach determined to lead his team to success. While earning his Bachelors of Arts in Political Science at Penn State, Rhule walked onto the football team as a linebacker, played four years under coach Joe Paterno and was a three-time Penn State Scholar- Athlete. Later, he continued his education and completed his Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Buffalo in 2003. Rhule has 10 years of head coaching experience under his belt between his time at Temple University, Baylor University, Carolina Panthers, and most recently Nebraska Cornhuskers. Under Rhule’s leadership, Baylor became the first Power 5 program to go from 11 losses (2017) to 11 wins (2019) within two seasons. He was named Big 12 Coach of the Year and AP Big 12 Coach of the Year (2019). Following his successful head coaching terms at Temple (2013-2016) and Baylor (2017-2019), leading both programs to consecutive bowl appearances in his last two seasons, Rhule was named Carolina Panthers head coach before transitioning to head coach at University of Nebraska—Lincoln. Now entering his 25th year in a coaching position, Rhule has shared his determined mindset around coaching without the pressure of job status or winning every game. He shares how his main focus for his team’s success lies in inspiring his team to want to consistently improve and show up for one another, as well as the fans.