Giff Smith (born October 12, 1968) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach who is the defensive line coach and run game coordinator for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He previously served as the interim head coach for the 2023 season with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. He was also an assistant coach for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

and

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

Early life and education

A native of

Mableton, Georgia Mableton ( ) is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. Voters of the unincorporated area of Mableton approved a referendum to incorporate on November 8, 2022, and six council members were elected on March 21, 2023, with Michael Owens (p ...

, Smith played defensive end at

Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University (informally known as Southern or Georgia Southern) is a public university, public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The largest campus is in Statesboro, Georgia, Statesboro, with ...

and was a three-time All-American.

Coaching career

Early career

Smith began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

in 1991. He would then serve as a graduate assistant at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

from 1994 to 1995.

Georgia Southern

In 1996, Smith was hired as the wide receivers coach at

Tulane

In 1999, Smith was hired as the defensive line coach at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

Georgia Tech

In 2004, Smith was hired as the defensive line coach at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

Buffalo Bills

In 2010, Smith was hired by the

as their defensive line coach under head coach

Chan Gailey Thomas Chandler Gailey Jr. (born January 5, 1952) is a former American football coach. Most recently in 2020, he was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Gailey has previously served as the hea ...

. 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.

Tennessee Titans

In 2014, Smith was hired by the

as their defensive line coach under head coach

Ken Whisenhunt Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962) is an American football coach and former tight end. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was selected in the twelfth round of the 1985 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, with whom he pla ...

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

In 2016, Smith was hired by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

as their defensive line coach under head coach Mike McCoy. In 2017, Smith was retained by the

under head coach

Anthony Lynn Anthony Ray Lynn (born December 21, 1968) is an American professional football coach and former running back who is the run game coordinator and running backs coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played ...

. In 2022, Smith was promoted to outside linebackers coach under head coach

Brandon Staley Brandon John Staley (born December 10, 1982) is an American professional football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach of the Los Angeles ...

. On December 15, 2023, Smith was named the interim head coach following the firing of head coach

. On December 23, 2023, Smith made his head coaching debut against the

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.

Los Angeles Rams

In 2024, Smith was hired by the

as their defensive line coach.

Head coaching record

* ''Interim head coach''

Personal life

Smith and his wife, Jennifer, have two children: Ava and Sam Smith. Ava attends Southern Methodist University and Sam plays football at JSerra Catholic High School.

References

External links

Los Angeles Rams profile

San Diego Chargers profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Giff 1968 births Living people Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches Buffalo Bills coaches Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia Bulldogs football coaches Georgia Southern Eagles football coaches Georgia Southern Eagles football players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches Los Angeles Chargers coaches Los Angeles Chargers head coaches Players of American football from Cobb County, Georgia San Diego Chargers coaches Tennessee Titans coaches Tulane Green Wave football coaches