The Seattle Seahawks have appointed Mike Macdonald as the youngest head coach in the NFL.

The 36-year-old, who has been defensive co-ordinator at the Baltimore Ravens for the past two seasons, replaces Pete Carroll who steered the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl victory during his 14 years in charge.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun, we’re going to work our tails off, and it’s going to be an incredible ride,” Macdonald told the team’s website, describing his appointment as “an honour”.

“We’re going to be here for a long time and we’re going to win a lot of football games.”

He said he was drawn to Seattle by the people and “to bring a championship back to Seattle”.

Macdonald started coaching at the University of Georgia while still a student, starting as an intern at the Ravens and working his way up before spending a season as defensive co-ordinator at the University of Michigan in 2021.

He returned in the same role for the Ravens, shaping the dominant defence which took them to the top seed in the AFC and within one game of the Super Bowl.

Carroll, who was moved to an advisory role with the Seahawks at the end of the season, was the oldest active coach in the NFL at 72.