Patriots' Jerod Mayo latest to succeed iconic head coach - ESPN

On Friday, one day after parting ways with Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots promoted Jerod Mayo as the legendary coach's successor. It's never easy for «the guy after the guy» — the coach who has the unenviable task of following someone who has come to define a program through years of winning records and championships. Even if you perform well, you're constantly suffering comparisons to an icon.

Mayo becomes the 15th head coach in Patriots' franchise history. At 37 years old, he also becomes the youngest head coach in the NFL — a title previously held by the Los Angeles Rams' Sean McVay (one month older than Mayo).

While this will be Mayo's first time at the helm, he's far from new to the organization. The newly minted HC joined Belichick's coaching staff in 2019, serving as linebackers coach. Before that, he played linebacker for New England from 2008 to 2015 after being selected in the first round.

Mayo is familiar with the franchise and has noted support from players. Here's how other coaches have fared in succeeding some of the best in the game:

After a 47-year coaching career and five national titles, Krzyzewski retired and Scheyer took over with some huge shoes to fill. Scheyer proved to be up for the challenge. He led the Blue Devils to a 27-9 mark in his first season, winning the ACC tournament and going undefeated at home. Scheyer was the first coach in conference history to post an undefeated home record in a debut season. In his second season, the Blue Devils are ranked No. 11 by the AP Poll and No. 2 in the ACC.

Davis made a splash in his first season as North Carolina Tar Heels coach. Williams' successor brought his squad on an epic run through the NCAA tournament, culminating in a trip to the