Al Holcomb brings 30 years of coaching experience, including 17 years at the NFL level. He most recently served as the linebackers coach for the Buffalo Bills in 2025 after joining the staff in 2023 as a senior defensive assistant. Prior to that, he had coaching stints with the Carolina Panthers (2013-17 and 2020-22), Arizona Cardinals (2018) and Cleveland Browns (2019).
In 2024, the Bills defense had seven players record at least two interceptions, which was tied for the most in the NFL. Holcomb mentored CB Christian Benford as he recorded a team high 10 passes defensed to go along with two interceptions. He also helped CB Terrel Bernard record 100-plus tackles for the second consecutive season, while LB Dorian Williams finished with a team high 114 total tackles. In his first season in Buffalo in 2023, Holcomb helped CB Taron Johnson earn second team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career after recording the most tackles of any cornerback in the league with 98 and adding three forced fumbles.
During his second stint in Carolina (2020-22), Holcomb was promoted to Interim Head Coach in 2022 after serving as the assistant head coach, defense for the first five games of the season. He previously served as the defensive run game coordinator from 2020-21. In 2022, Holcomb mentored LB Frankie Luvu who finished with a career high 111 tackles, including 19 tackles for loss. He also helped Brian Burns set career highs in sacks (12.5), tackles (63) and tackles for loss (17). Â In 2021, he worked closely with standout rookie Jeremy Chinn, who garnered votes for the NFL Rookie of the Year award and earned PFWA All-Rookie honors as the second-round draft pick led the NFL with the most tackles (116) by a rookie.
Prior to Carolina, Holcomb spent one season as the defensive run game coordinator/linebackers coach for the Cleveland Browns in 2019 after one season as the Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator in 2018.
His first stint with the Panthers was from 2013-17, where he coached linebackers during a five-year stretch that saw Carolina advance to the playoffs four times, win three division titles and the 2015 NFC Championship. Over that period, the Panthers linebackers led the NFL with 24 interceptions while recording 35 total takeaways. Holcomb helped guide LB Luke Kuechly and helped to five consecutive pro bowls and four first team All-Pro honors and the 2013 NFL Defensive Player off the year. He also helped Thomas Davis to All-Pro honors in 2015 and four 100 tackles seasons.
Holcomb joined the Panthers after four seasons with the New York Giants, where he worked as a defensive assistant (2009-10) and defensive quality control coach (2011-12), helping the Giants win Super Bowl XLVI. He participated in the NFL's minority internship program during minicamp and training camp in 2007 with the New York Jets.
Prior to working in the NFL, Holcomb spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach on the college level. He was the defensive line coach at Lafayette for three seasons (2006-08), tutoring five different defensive linemen to All-Patriot League honors. He worked as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Kutztown University (2004-05) in addition to being the interim head coach in the winter of 2005 after spending six years (1998-03) at Bloomsburg University as the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator.
He began his coaching career at Temple as a graduate assistant in 1995 working with the linebackers before serving as linebackers coach, assistant track coach and physical education instructor at Colby College in 1997. A native of Queens, N.Y., Holcomb graduated from West Virginia with a degree in sport management and earned a master's degree in athletic coaching in 1996.
