John Van Dam

John Van Dam (born August 18, 1984) is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the pass game specialist for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and has previously coached the Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings, Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Florida Gators, Southern Illinois Salukis and Lafayette Leopards.

Early life Van Dam was born on August 18, 1984, and grew up in East Lansing, Michigan. He attended Okemos High School where he was a member of the football, lacrosse and track and field teams. He played five seasons for Michigan State and backed-up several future National Football League (NFL) players, including Nick Foles, Drew Stanton, Brian Hoyer and Kirk Cousins. He appeared in one game each in his freshman, sophomore and junior years for the Spartans. He helped Augustana reach consecutive Mineral Water Bowls in 2008 and 2009 and they made their first playoff appearance in over 20 years in 2010. The following year, Van Dam served as assistant quarterbacks coach and offensive quality control assistant for the Florida Gators. He became offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Southern Illinois Salukis in 2016, helping them have a top offense in the conference in his two years there. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Lafayette Leopards for one season in 2018.

In 2019, Van Dam moved to the professional ranks and was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an offensive quality control coach. He was promoted to head tight ends coach in 2022. He was among the candidates the team interviewed for their offensive coordinator position in 2024.

On February 6, 2025, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Van Dam to serve as their pass game specialist.