Rob Ryan compares Lincoln Riley to Sean McVay, believes national championship vision

New USC linebackers coach Rob Ryan was pretty clear about joining the Trojans: he loves what Lincoln Riley is doing.

In fact, he compared him to Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, in terms of offensive coaching prowess. The comparison makes sense, even from a location standpoint because they’re just down the street from each other.

Well, kind of. LA adjacent let’s say. But Ryan couldn’t be more excited to be on Riley’s staff at USC to chase glory.

“I’m just happy to be here. And you know, only reason I left pro football, I’ve been there for the last 25 years … This is the first time, and you know, long time that I’ve been in college football,” Ryan said. “I’m joining the best coaching staff in the country. Lincoln Riley is right there with (Sean) McVay. They’re the best offensive coaches, best best guys in the country. I don’t care what league it is, or whatever it is, that’s just the truth.

“And I’ve been around some pretty good ones. I’ve been around Bill Belichick, I’ve been around Al Davis, I’ve been around Sean Payton, all these guys. These are the best offensive coaches in the country.” 

Ryan made no bones about his goals at USC, even if he’s not the man in charge. He wants to contribute to a national championship team.

“So obviously, I wanted to come to a place, if I’m going to leave pro football, I’m going to come to a college, you know, I want to win a national championship, and so I wanted to make sure I chose USC, you know, it’s the right place to be,” Ryan said. “And so, you know, I chose Lincoln. I’ve been a big admirer of his … kind of hard not to like a guy. He’s got all these Heisman Trophy winners, you know? 

“And then D’Anton Lynn, we go back … me and D’Anton coached together at two places, Buffalo and Baltimore. We were number one in run defense when I was there with D’Anton, you know?”

Riley was pretty excited to add Ryan to the staff upon his hiring.

“Rob Ryan is one of the most accomplished defensive coaches in NFL history,” Riley said. “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.”