James Madison looking to poach Giants assistant OL coach Chris Smith

If you thought the New York Giants and head coach Brian Daboll had their staff set ahead of the 2024 season, think again.

Matt Zenitz of 247Sports and CBS Sports reports that James Madison is looking to hire Giants assistant offensive line coach Chris Smith to oversee their OL.

James Madison is targeting New York #Giants assistant offensive line coach Chris Smith for its offensive line coach opening, a source tells @247sports.

Before the Giants, Smith was the offensive coordinator and OL coach under new JMU head coach Bob Chesney at Holy Cross.… pic.twitter.com/TGHCVinzRO

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) March 18, 2024

Smith had been serving as the Holy Cross offensive coordinator when hired by the Giants last March. It was a position he held for five seasons.

Prior to that, Smith served as their offensive line coach, run game coordinator, and recruiting coordinator.

During his time at Holy Cross, Smith helped develop several offensive linemen who went on to receive All-Patriot League honors. Among them are James Murray, Brett Boddy, Brian Foley, and Nick Olsofka.

Smith was part of a staff that has led the Crusaders to three consecutive Patriot League championships. They also earned an NCAA football championship subdivision berth in 2019, which was the first for the program in 10 years.

In addition to his time with Holy Cross, Smith, who played center for the school before graduation, also had stints with New Haven, Northern Colorado, and Buffalo.

Unfortunately, that success didn’t carry over with the Giants. Smith joined offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and the pair oversaw a unit that surrendered 85 sacks, the second-most in NFL history.

Johnson was fired on Black Monday and replaced by Carmen Bricillo.