Giff Smith (born October 12, 1968) is an American football coach who is the defensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the interim head coach for the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was also an assistant coach for the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills.
| Los Angeles Rams | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive line coach/run game coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 12, 1968 Mableton, Georgia, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | Georgia Southern |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | 0–3 (.000) |
| Record at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life and education
editA native of Mableton, Georgia, Smith played defensive end at Georgia Southern University and was a three-time All-American.
Coaching career
editEarly career
editSmith began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas in 1991. He would then serve as a graduate assistant at the University of Georgia from 1994 to 1995.
Georgia Southern
editIn 1996, Smith was hired as the wide receivers coach at Georgia Southern University.
Tulane
editIn 1999, Smith was hired as the defensive line coach at Tulane University.
Georgia Tech
editIn 2004, Smith was hired as the defensive line coach at Georgia Tech.
Buffalo Bills
editIn 2010, Smith was hired by the Buffalo Bills as their defensive line coach under head coach Chan Gailey.[1] During his time there, Smith is credited with helping with the emergence of Kyle Williams.
He was dismissed, along with the entire Bills coaching staff, on December 31, 2012.[2]
Tennessee Titans
editIn 2014, Smith was hired by the Tennessee Titans as their defensive line coach under head coach Ken Whisenhunt.
San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers
editIn 2016, Smith was hired by the San Diego Chargers as their defensive line coach under head coach Mike McCoy.
In 2017, Smith was retained by the Los Angeles Chargers under head coach Anthony Lynn. In 2022, Smith was promoted to outside linebackers coach under head coach Brandon Staley.
On December 15, 2023, Smith was named the interim head coach following the firing of head coach Brandon Staley.[3][4] On December 23, 2023, Smith made his head coaching debut against the Buffalo Bills but the Chargers were defeated 22–24 although they surprised the Bills with a 10-0 and 22-21 lead with under a minute left.[5]
Los Angeles Rams
editIn 2024, Smith was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as their defensive line coach.[6]
Head coaching record
edit| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| LAC* | 2023 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 4th in AFC West | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
* Interim head coach
Personal life
editSmith and his wife, Jennifer, have two children.[7]
References
edit- ^ Odum, Charles (January 27, 2010). "Georgia Tech's Giff Smith takes job with Bills". Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ^ Gaughan, Mark (December 31, 2012). "Bills make it official: Gailey is fired". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Name Giff Smith Interim Head Coach and JoJo Wooden Interim General Manager". Chargers.com. December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "we have named Giff Smith interim Head Coach and JoJo Wooden interim General Manager". X/Twitter. December 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bills vs. Chargers - Box Score - December 23, 2023". ESPN.com. December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
- ^ https://www.therams.com/news/rams-announce-additions-2024-coaching-staff-dave-ragone-giff-smith-greg-williams-nathan-scheelhaase
- ^ "Giff Smith – Los Angeles Chargers profile". Los Angeles Chargers.