Part of his time with the Toereros at USD was coaching under Jim Harbaugh, who of course also had Macdonald on his staff at Michigan in 2021.
Like Macdonald, Engstrand also has a year on Michigan's coaching staff with Harbaugh under his belt. Engstrand was an offensive analyst during the 2018 season.
Engstrand's first chance in professional football actually came with the XFL's DC Defenders, where he was named the team's inaugural offensive coordinator. However, Engstrand eventually was hired by the Lions in 2020 after the league ceased operations.
The Seahawks likely heard about Engstrand's impact on the Lions while the organization was interviewing Ben Johnson for the head coaching position prior to hiring Macdonald. Johnson was a top candidate for several open head coach roles, but chose to return to Detroit for another season.