Dave Canales

David Aaron Canales (born May 7, 1981) is a professional American football coach who is the head coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Canales played college football at Azusa Pacific from 1999 to 2003. Canales was born in Harbor City, California. He attended high school in Carson, California at Carson High School. After graduation from high school in 1999, Canales enrolled at Azusa Pacific University and played wide receiver for the Cougars, starting for one season. As a senior in 2003, he led Azusa Pacific to the NAIA Playoffs, finishing in ninth place. From 2004 to 2006, Canales started coaching high school football in his home state of California at his alma mater, Carson. Canales moved to the college ranks in 2007 as the special teams and tight ends coach at El Camino College. After helping El Camino to the SoCal Regional Semifinals in 2008, he moved to USC in 2009, where he was an assistant strength coach. From 2010 to 2022, he served as a longtime assistant coach with the Seattle Seahawks under Pete Carroll, working in multiple capacities on the offensive side of the ball. In 2023, Canales was the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he helped guide the Buccaneers to the 2023 NFC South Divisional title, winning the wild card game against the Philadelphia Eagles, before losing to the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round. On January 25, 2024, Canales left the Buccaneers, signing a six-year contract to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, leading them to a 3-game improvement in his first year as head coach.