USC is adding a wealth of NFL expertise to its coaching staff.
Rob Ryan, a veteran coach with 35 years of experience and a Super Bowl title, has been hired by USC as the assistant head coach for defense and linebackers, head coach Lincoln Riley revealed.
Ryan leaves his post as the senior defensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders, a position in which he held from 2022-2024.
"Rob Ryan is one of the most accomplished defensive coaches in NFL history," said Riley. "With over two decades of NFL experience, he will immediately bolster our staff as we continue our climb here at USC. He has coached some of the NFL's top players, including numerous Hall of Famers and All-Pro selections. We're thrilled to welcome Coach Ryan and his family to our program."
Just two days after USC secured a contract extension with D'Anton Lynn as the program's defensive coordinator, head coach Lincoln Riley has bolstered his staff further by adding another assistant with NFL experience, joining former Rams and Chargers defensive line coach Eric Henderson.
Ryan filled the vacancy that Matt Entz left behind when he left to become Fresno State's head coach last month. Entz was the former North Dakota State head coach, who served as the Trojans' assistant head coach for defense and linebackers coach last season.
This hire marks Ryan's first college coaching role since serving as Oklahoma State's defensive coordinator from 1997-99.
Since then, he has coached linebackers on multiple Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots teams, worked as a defensive coordinator for the Raiders, Browns, Cowboys, and Saints, and most recently spent three years as a senior defensive assistant with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Ryan has a proven track record of nurturing star defensive talents in his most recent years with the Raiders.
In 2022, Ryan played a key role in guiding Maxx Crosby to his second Pro Bowl selection, helping Crosby set career highs in tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks. Crosby's 88 tackles were the most by a Raiders defensive lineman in a season, and he became only the second defensive lineman in franchise history to record 20+ tackles for loss in a single season.
Ryan also worked with Chandler Jones, who finished second on the team with 4.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits. Under his guidance, the defense ranked 19th in rushing yards allowed per game and showed slight improvements in tackles for loss and stuffs from the previous year.
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In 2023, Ryan helped lead a defense that allowed just 331 points, the fewest by the Raiders since 2002, and recorded five defensive touchdowns, the second most in the league. The unit made significant strides after Antonio Pierce became interim head coach in Week 9, ranking first in points allowed per game, first in defensive touchdowns, and tied for third in sacks from Weeks 9-18.
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