USC hires former Rams defensive line coach Eric Henderson
USC has hired former Rams defensive line coach Eric Henderson as the Trojans’ co-defensive coordinator, run game coordinator and defensive line coach.
“I’m excited to welcome the final member of our defensive staff, Eric Henderson,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said in a statement. “A Super Bowl Champion coach who has been recognized nationally for being the top in his field, Eric will bring immeasurable knowledge and experience to our program. We have put together a defensive staff that is second to none. We’re ready to get to work.”
USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and Henderson coached together as defensive assistants for the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2017 season. Lynn was a defensive assistant and Henderson was the assistant defensive line coach under head coach Anthony Lynn.
For the last five years, Henderson has been responsible for coaching the defensive line that featured Aaron Donald and helped make the Rams Super Bowl LVI champions at the end of the 2021 season. This season, third-round pick defensive tackle Kobie Turner is in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year with nine sacks and 57 tackles. Under Henderson’s tutelage, the Rams ranked top 5 in sacks back-to-back years in 2019 and 2020. This year, the Rams finished the season with 41 sacks, including four players who each posted at least six sacks.
Rams head coach Sean McVay spoke highly of Henderson during his time with the Rams.
“He’s really developed a culture within the culture in that D-line room,” McVay said. “Everything starts with building and developing relationships, being able to connect and communicate (and) care about these guys. We’re big believers in you got to love guys and then you can be tough on them. It’s not the other way around. So, I know that he loves those guys.”
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Henderson is a New Orleans native and played college football at Georgia Tech before spending three years with the Cincinnati Bengals. At Georgia Tech, he posted a school-record 59.5 tackles for loss. Henderson began his coaching career in 2012 as the outside linebackers coach at Georgia Military College, then served as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State.
He moved to the defensive line in 2016 at UTSA, where he helped develop first-round NFL pick Marcus Davenport, and then jumped into the NFL as the assistant defensive line coach with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017 and 2018. Henderson moved on to the Rams in 2019, serving as the defensive line coach in ’19 and ’20 before adding run game coordinator to his title for the past three seasons.
With this addition, former defensive line coach Shaun Nua will move to defensive ends coach for the Trojans in 2024.
