Chili Davis’ time at Florida A&M lasted one season, but his year in HBCU football might have changed everything. The Minnesota Vikings officially announced that Davis has been hired as the team’s Assistant Special Teams Coach, joining Kevin O’Connell’s staff for the 2026 season.
He will work under Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels as part of a finalized 27-member coaching group.
While Davis’ résumé now includes Power Four and NFL stops, his 2022 season at FAMU stands as an inflection point in his career trajectory.
The Minneapolis Vikings are hiring Chili Davis as Assistant Special Teams Coach
? Former Special Teams Coordinator at Florida A&M pic.twitter.com/rkVJtWjPmZ
— HBCU Premier Sports & More (@HBCUSports1) February 24, 2026
The FAMU Season That Accelerated the Climb
When Davis arrived in Tallahassee in 2022 as Special Teams Coordinator, Florida A&M already had a talented HBCU football roster.
Head coach Willie Simmons famously described Davis as the “missing piece” to a unit that would go on to dominate the third phase of the game.
The results backed it up.
FAMU finished 9–2 overall and 7–1 in SWAC play. The Rattlers capped the year with a Florida Classic victory over Bethune-Cookman. Throughout the season, their special teams unit consistently flipped field position and delivered hidden-yardage advantages that impacted games.
Statistically, the group ranked among the most productive special teams units in the FCS:
Three blocked kicks, ranking 30th nationally
17-of-21 field goals converted (81%)
Multiple first-team all-conference and HBCU All-America honorees
It was one year.
However, it was loud.
From Tallahassee to the NFL
Following that 2022 HBCU football campaign, Davis made the leap from the FCS to a Power Four program, joining Kansas State as Special Teams Quality Control Coach in 2023.
The move signaled something important.
His FAMU success translated.
From Kansas State, Davis spent the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Rams as a special teams assistant under Sean McVay. He later joined Maryland, where he served as Assistant Special Teams Coordinator before earning a promotion to Special Teams Coordinator — a title he held briefly before accepting Minnesota’s offer.
Now he returns to the NFL.
The Minnesota Connection
Chili Davis’ Minnesota Vikings hire also reflects an intentional relationship-building process.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell highlighted Davis’ previous participation in the Vikings’ diversity coaching summit and the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
“He was their special teams coordinator at Maryland, but was part of our first diversity coaching summit and then also was part of the Bill Walsh Fellowship,” O’Connell said. “He has kind of slowly spent more and more time around us and staff — a really high-capacity young coach I’m excited about.”
Those programs are designed to create exposure and opportunity for rising minority coaches. In Davis’ case, they created familiarity and trust.
Minnesota had already seen him up close.
A One-Year Stop That Opened Doors
Davis’ career spans more than a decade, beginning at Campbell, his alma mater, where he played defensive back. He coached wide receivers at New Mexico State during a historic bowl season, worked as a special teams analyst at Washington, and built experience across multiple position groups.
Still, his year at FAMU stands out.
It provided measurable results, nationally recognized specialists, and a 9-win season that forced larger programs to take notice.
For Florida A&M, it reinforced the program’s reputation for developing not only players but also coaching talent.
For Chili Davis, it became the springboard.
Now, that springboard has led him to the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff.
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