Rob Ryan blunt on first recruiting cycle at USC: 'Everyone wants to come to USC, so it's easy'

One of the biggest challenges for NFL coaches going to college is that they need to become recruiters. That’s a skill not everyone has, and USC Trojans assistant Rob Ryan had to learn how to do it. At the same time, it helps that he’s at a destination program.

Ahead of training camp opening up for the 2025 season, Ryan addressed the media. There, he opened up about the recruiting process, admitting that being at USC made it easier for him.

“Well, I dominated,” Rob Ryan said. “No, I did learn a lot of lessons, but the great thing is, I think this is a people business. If you’re good people, you tell the truth to kids, and we’re USC for God’s sakes. Everyone wants to come to USC, so it’s easy. But it’s great.”

Rob Ryan is the son of Buddy Ryan and the brother of Rex Ryan, one of the NFL’s notable coaching families. Despite that, he did get his own start in coaching at the college level, as a GA at Western Kentucky and later Ohio State. He’d then become an assistant coach at Tennessee State. He’d eventually become the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, but when he left that job in 1999, Ryan jumped to the NFL. He hadn’t been back in college since then.

Getting to USC in February of 2025, Rob Ryan needed to hit the ground running in recruiting. That’s a fairly new task for him still, and the Trojans do, admittedly, have better recruiters. However, the next recruiting class does seem to be coming along.

“We have some of the greatest recruiters. We’ve got [Eric Henderson]. You got Doug Belk. You know, it’s hard to be the number one recruiter on this staff,” Ryan said. “But I thought I did a good job. I certainly know I got some great players.”

The USC Trojans currently have the top-ranked recruiting class in the 2026 cycle. That’s a recruiting class that currently includes two five-star recruits and 19 four-star recruits. It also comes after USC landed the 15th-ranked class the year before, though there is still time for that to change before recruits sign on to play for the Trojans.

Rob Ryan reaffirms confidence in USC linebackers

Rob Ryan is working as the linebackers coach and the assistant head coach for defense at USC. There, he’s working with a group of linebackers who he’s very excited about moving forward.

“I mean, you know, I think when you look at that, like people say, ‘Well, they’ve only got the one guy who played,’ I get it, you know. Nowadays, these kids are smart. They play hard. When they put that ball down, they blow the whistle. My guys will be ready. And, I mean, I know what it’s going to look like, you know. Say whatever … I’m going to say something like … My group’s going to be great, and we’re going to get after. If they don’t like it, then fire me, because I know we’re going to be good. We’re young, (but) we’re young and talented,” Ryan said.

“I think they’re all smart kids, they work hard, they’re tough, and they love football. So I mean when you got those combinations. It’ll jump off … people will be excited about the way these young men play.”