Rob Ryan, a longtime NFL defensive coordinator, has been named the assistant head coach for defense and linebackers coach at Southern California (USC). This announcement was made by USC head coach Lincoln Riley on Saturday. Ryan will take over for Matt Entz, who became the head coach at Fresno State last month.
Ryan brings with him 35 years of coaching experience, including 24 years spent in the NFL with nine different teams. For the past three seasons, he served as the senior defensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders, working under head coaches Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce.
“Rob Ryan is one of the most accomplished defensive coaches in NFL history,” Riley said in a statement. “With over two decades of NFL experience, he will immediately bolster our staff as we continue our climb here at USC.”
Throughout his career, Ryan has held various defensive coordinator positions. He was the defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders from 2004 to 2008, the Cleveland Browns from 2009 to 2010, the Dallas Cowboys from 2011 to 2012, and the New Orleans Saints from 2013 to 2015. He also earned two Super Bowl rings as the linebackers coach for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2003.
Ryan has worked with USC’s defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn in the past. The two were both part of coaching staffs with the Buffalo Bills in 2016 and the Baltimore Ravens in 2021. During their time with the Bills, they worked under Rex Ryan, who is Rob’s twin brother.
Lynn has quickly become one of the top coordinators in college football. He helped improve UCLA’s and USC’s defenses through two successful rebuilding efforts. Under Lynn’s guidance, USC made significant strides defensively in his first season with the Trojans. Earlier this week, USC signed Lynn to a contract extension.
This will be Rob Ryan’s first coaching position in college football since 1999, when he spent three years as the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. After both Rob and Rex Ryan were fired by the Buffalo Bills in December 2016, Rob took a two-year break from coaching. He returned to the NFL in 2019, joining the Washington Football Team.
