Rob Ryan, a veteran NFL defensive coordinator, has been appointed associate head coach for defense and linebackers at Southern California.
Lincoln Riley, the head coach of USC, made the announcement about the new hire on Saturday. Matt Entz, who took over as head coach of Fresno State last month, is replaced by Ryan.
Ryan has worked as an assistant for 35 years, 24 of which were spent with nine different NFL teams. Under Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce, he served as the lead defensive assistant with the Las Vegas Raiders for the previous three seasons.
“Rob Ryan is one of the most accomplished defensive coaches in NFL history,” Riley stated in a statement. “With over two decades of NFL experience, he will immediately bolster our staff as we continue our climb here at USC.”
The Oakland Raiders (2004–08), Cleveland Browns (2009–10), Dallas Cowboys (2011–12), and New Orleans Saints (2013–15) all had Ryan as their defensive coordinator. While coaching the linebackers for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2003, he also won two Super Bowl rings.
While both Ryan and D’Anton Lynn were on staffs with the Buffalo Bills (2016) and the Baltimore Ravens (2021), they collaborated. Rob’s twin brother, head coach Rex Ryan, was their boss in Buffalo.
After overseeing successful back-to-back rebuilding efforts at UCLA and USC, which significantly improved their defense in his first season on campus, Lynn has emerged as one of the best college football coordinators. Earlier this week, Lynn agreed to a contract extension with the Trojans.
Since 1999, when he concluded his three-year tenure as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, Rob Ryan has not served as a college coach. Following the firing of both Ryan brothers by Buffalo in December 2016, he took a two-year hiatus from coaching until rejoining Washington in 2019.