Interim Jaguars GM is a former Lawrence football player

(LAWRENCE ATHLETICS) APPLETON, Wis. — Former Lawrence University football player Ethan Waugh has been named interim general manager of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, the team announced Wednesday.
A 1997 Lawrence graduate, Waugh had been serving as the Jaguars’ assistant general manager since 2022 and has a long career in NFL management. He takes over for general manager Trent Baalke, who was dismissed by the team on Wednesday.
Waugh is the second Lawrence graduate in less than a year to take a prominent role with a major professional sports franchise. Former Lawrence hockey player and associate head coach Kalle Larsson, a 2007 graduate, was named senior director of player development for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers in May 2024.
A native of Vernon Hills, Illinois, Waugh came to Lawrence as a transfer student in 1995. A slotback and quarterback in Lawrence’s high-scoring offense, Waugh averaged 4.9 yards per carry in his first season for the Vikings and completed 60 percent of his passes while backing up All-Midwest Conference signal-caller Jeff Kinziger.
Waugh, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Lawrence and a master’s degree in American history from Western Carolina University in 1999, has been working in the NFL since 2004. He started with the San Francisco 49ers as a personnel assistant before being promoted to Midwest regional scout in 2008.
Waugh then served as the 49ers’ senior personnel assistant from 2012-14 and as senior player personnel coordinator from 2015-17. He worked as director of college scouting and football systems in San Francisco for three seasons before taking over as vice-president of player personnel in 2021. He held that post until signing on with the Jaguars in 2022.
Waugh worked with Baalke in San Francisco for 12 seasons, and it was Baalke who hired Waugh with the Jaguars.
Football is in Waugh’s blood as his father, Maury, was a coach for five decades. Maury Waugh served as a head coach at three NCAA Division III institutions, the University of Dubuque, Simpson College and Lake Forest College. His brothers, Tucker and Adam, also coach in the collegiate ranks. Tucker Waugh is an assistant coach at West Point, and Adam Waugh is the head coach at Southeastern University.
Waugh started on his football coaching journey while a graduate student at Western Carolina. He coached with the Catamounts from 1997-2001 and then spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Illinois Wesleyan University before making the jump to the 49ers.