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

The USC Trojans announced Saturday that they’ve hired former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to a role on Lincoln Riley’s staff. His official title will be assistant head coach for defense and linebackers coach.

Since leaving the Saints, Ryan previously coached with Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn on the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills. He most recently worked as a senior defensive assistant on the Las Vegas Raiders under Antonio Pierce, but that staff dissolved when Pierce was let go earlier this month.

Ryan replaced Steve Spagnuolo as Sean Payton’s defensive coordinator back in 2013 and helped the team get back to the playoffs right away, but that success proved to be a fluke with some of the worst performances we’ve seen in 2014 and 2015. Dennis Allen returned to New Orleans in 2015 and initially worked as co-DC with Ryan before taking full-time responsibility midway through that season. Allen is weighing his options at the pro level, but Ryan is now coaching college football.