Who is Giff Smith? All about Chargers' interim head coach

Following Brandon Staley's departure, the Los Angeles Chargers have chosen Giff Smith as their interim head coach.

After sacking Tom Telesco, the organization also announced that JoJo Wooden will serve as its interim general manager for the rest of the season.

Giff Smith's coaching career explored

Giff Smith joined the Chargers in 2016 and has 32 years of coaching experience. In 2016, the 55-year-old began working for the organization as a defensive line coach. At the start of last season, he was promoted to outside linebackers coach.

In 1991, Giff Smith began his coaching career at Arkansas as a graduate assistant. He worked at Georgia, Georgia Southern, Tulane and Georgia Tech after leaving Arkansas. In 2010, he joined the Buffalo Bills as their defensive line coach.

Before being appointed to the same position by the Chargers in 2016, Giff Smith had spent a year as the defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans in 2014 and 2015.

Smith obtained his Bachelor's degree in management at Georgia Tech, specializing on marketing and finance. Before beginning his career as a football coach, he went to Oklahoma State University for his Master's degree in educational psychology.

Giff Smith now has the responsibility to ensure that Chargers end the season well. The squad, who made the playoffs in 2022, is among the worst underachievers of this season, with a 5-9 record, losing five of their last six games.

After losing 63-21 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, which also happened to be the final game Brandon Staley was in charge of, they slumped to last place in the AFC West.

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Who is Los Angeles Chargers' interim general nanager JoJo Wooden?

After the Los Angeles Chargers fired Tom Telesco, JoJo Wooden, their director of player personnel, will assume general manager responsibilities for the rest of the season.

After joining the Chargers in 2013, the 54-year-old managed the pro and college scouting divisions. He spent 16 years with the New York Jets, from 1997 to 2012, before joining the Chargers in 2013.

He advanced from the position of personnel assistant to that of assistant director of player personnel before being named an interim general manager earlier on Friday.

As the Chargers search for a long-term Telesco replacement, Wooden will take charge of the management department until the end of the season and into the offseason.