D'Onofrio played at the collegiate level with the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he was a team captain. In the 1992 NFL draft, D'Onofrio was selected in the second round by the Green Bay Packers.[3] He became a starter with the team that season, however a severe injury would cause him to retire soon after.
Coaching career
D'Onofrio's first coaching experience was as linebackers coach at Saint Peter's College. The next year, he became a defensive assistant with the Georgia Bulldogs. From there he was a linebackers coach with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and tight ends, special teams, and inside linebackers coach with the Virginia Cavaliers. He joined the Temple Owls in 2006 as a defensive coordinator, later being promoted to the Assistant Head Coach/ Defensive Coordinator.
He followed head coach Al Golden, his brother-in-law, to the University of Miami in the same position he held at Temple for the Miami Hurricanes football team in December 2010. Al Golden came to Coral Gables to replace Randy Shannon. After Golden was fired in the wake of a 58-0 loss to Clemson, D'Onofrio finished out the 2015 season as defensive coordinator and was then terminated following Miami's SunBowl loss to Washington State, 20-16.[4] He spent 2016 out of football while coaching at the Boys & Girls Club in Miami.
On January 6, 2017, D'Onofrio was hired by the Houston Cougars as their defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, beginning with the 2017 season.[5]
On November 25, 2018, Major Applewhite announced that D'Onofrio had been relieved of his duties as defensive coordinator at the University of Houston.[6]
In early June 2022, it was reported that D'Onofrio would be hired by Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers as the inside linebackers coach.[7]
