Joe Graves is in his second season as a 49ers assistant offensive line coach. He joined the 49ers after spending the 2021 season as the special teams coordinator/tight ends coach at Georgia Southern University.
In 2022, the 49ers offensive line went five games without allowing a sack, matching the most registered by the 49ers in a single season since 1980 (2000). T Trent Williams was selected to his 10th Pro Bowl and earned Associated Press First-Team All-Pro honors for the second-consecutive season. The 2022 49ers offense averaged 5.94 yards per play, which ranked fourth in the NFL.
The 2021 Georgia Southern Eagles saw CB NaJee Thompson earn First-Team All-American honors as a special teams player by Pro Football Network, after leading the team with 154 plays on special teams. P Anthony Beck II finished the season ranked second in the Sun Belt in punting average (44.3), as he earned Second-Team All-Sun Belt honors. He also added 17 punts downed inside the 20, which were tied for the most among Sun Belt punters. TE Beau Johnson led Georgia Southern with three touchdown receptions.
Graves joined Georgia Southern after spending three seasons (2018-20) at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, serving as the team's running backs coach (2019-20) and as a graduate assistant (2018) working with the offensive line. Graves worked with RB Josh Johnson, who earned Second-Team All-Sun Belt honors in 2019, where he ranked second in the conference and 13th in NCAA FBS in rushing averaging 108.2 yards per game. He finished 10th in the FBS at 6.46 yards per carry and tied for 18th with 1,298 rushing yards. Johnson's 1,298 rushing yards were the fourth-highest single-season total in ULM history, as he also led the Warhawks in all-purpose yards (1,420) and added 11 rushing touchdowns.
Prior to his time at Louisiana-Monroe, Graves began coaching as the running backs coach at his alma mater of Southeastern Louisiana University (2016-17). In 2017, SLU led the Southland Conference and ranked third in FBS in rushing, averaging 283.1 yards per game. The Lions finished second in the conference in rushing touchdowns (27), with RBs Marcus Cooper, Eugene Bethea and Darren Johnson combining to rush for 1,813 yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2016, RB Julius Maracalin earned Second-Team All-SLC honors after averaging 67.9 yards per game. Maracalin, who led the Lions with 747 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
A native of Covington, LA, Graves spent four years (2012-15) at Southeastern Louisiana, where he was an offensive lineman for the school, appeared in 44 games and earned All-Southland honors in each of his final three seasons. He received a bachelor's degree in history from Southeastern Louisiana in May of 2016.
