Longtime NFL defensive assistant Rob Ryan has landed a new coaching job.
Ryan, who is the twin brother of Rex Ryan, is joining the USC Trojans as an assistant head coach and linebackers coach, the school announced Saturday. The 62-year-old will be dropping down from the NFL level to join the Big Ten program.
We got our guy🤝
NFL veteran coach and 2X Super Bowl champion @flowlikerob has been hired as Assistant Head Coach for Defense/Linebackers coach🏈 pic.twitter.com/qX8OgT3oro
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) January 18, 2025

Ryan has not coached at the college level since the 1990s. But he has three decades of coaching experience, most of it in the NFL.
Ryan has spent the last three seasons as a senior defensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders. He has also served as a defensive coordinator with the Raiders, Cowboys, and Saints during his career. Like Rex, Rob is also known for his big personality and bold takes.
Ryan joins USC at a time when head coach Lincoln Riley is under increasing pressure to deliver better results. It is a fairly big move for a program that has seen its record get worse in each of the last two years.