Meet Austin Davis, your new head coach of the Seahawks in 2026

The Seattle Seahawks will bid farewell to quarterbacks coach Austin Davis after this season. Let me be the first to welcome Coach Davis back in 2026. It’s all coming together, 12s.

That’s right, 12s, the grand design of the Seahawks is laid out before us. Now, you may all have seen this amazing scheme already. I must confess, it didn’t come to me until my third cup of Cuban coffee this morning. Trust me, those little caffeine and sugar bombs do wonders for the little gray cells. So…why in the name of all that is College Navy, Wolf Gray, and Action Green do I believe Austin Davis will be the Hawks head coach?

I have more than one reason and less than seven. I haven’t decided yet if I have three or five. I’m sure you’ve noticed how almost every article you see lists either three or five items. Why? People prefer odd numbers. That’s why everything has to be a trilogy, not a quadrilogy. Well, that, and quadrilogy is just so awkward to say. Tetralogy sounds like it has something to do with monsters or shiny little tropical fish, and quartet makes you picture four violinists lulling you to sleep. You should have had your Cuban coffee.

Austin Davis will return to the Seattle Seahawks for the big job

Oh, right, Austin Davis. As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, our QB coach is taking on a bigger job as the offensive coordinator (and QB coach) at Auburn University. As John Buhler details quite well, Davis first joined the Seahawks in 2017. He actually got into three games but didn’t attempt a pass. You have to remember, this is when Russell Wilson was doing his Brett Favre impersonation (the consecutive starts, not the Copper Fit ads).

Davis returned to the Hawks as an assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 and in 2020 took over as Seattle’s QB coach. But you know all this already, don’t you, loyal and faithful 12s? The point is that Davis is young and already has some great experience under his belt. He’ll be all of 33 years old when he takes the gig at Auburn. They’ve fallen on relatively hard times at Jordan-Hare, as they finished the year at just 6-6. Could be why they want a new OC, ya think?

Make no mistake, Auburn is at the top level of college football. If the SEC isn’t the best conference, it certainly leads the conversation. Note the four-team NCAA playoff features two SEC teams this year. Going against Alabama’s defense will certainly test your offensive acumen, and Davis will have that opportunity every year.

So why do I believe he’ll be back as the Seahawks head coach one day? Why specifically in 2026? Well, the latter answer is easy. Pete Carroll’s contract runs through 2025. And yes, despite this season, I absolutely believe he’ll be in Seattle through 2025. So, hello 2026, and hello Austin Davis!

Now, why Davis? Why not someone already on the staff? Please. I think we’ve all had quite enough of our current coordinators, haven’t we? Besides, Davis has a pretty solid endorsement already. Did I mention that the guy that Davis works with every day thinks he’s got what it takes to do the job? Here’s Russell Wilson’s statement about the future for his coach:

Yes, 12s, the statement, “He’ll be an amazing coach at Auburn” is highlighted, but it’s from the school’s Twitter account. Of course, that’s their focus. What I see is “brilliant offensive coordinator and potential head coach”. I’m ignoring the “potential” and “one day” parts, but let’s be realistic. Davis does have to prove that his QB is right. I have no doubt that he is. Oh, and Pete Carroll likes him, too. As reported by 24/7 Sports, Carroll said, “Austin is going to show that he is one of the bright young minds in the game.” Sounds like an endorsement to me.

Now, will this all play out exactly as I said? Now, that I can’t say with complete confidence. The SEC is a pretty tough proving ground. A lot depends on just how much his new head coach, Bryan Harsin, trusts Davis to implement his own system, too. But the Hawks will be in the market for a new head coach. Russell Wilson will be facing his 15th year in the NFL. He’ll want a familiar face that he trusts. Sure sounds like Austin Davis to me.