Chris Shula

Chris Shula (born February 5, 1986) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a linebacker at Miami University and previously served as an assistant coach at Ball State University, Indiana University, John Carroll University and for the San Diego Chargers. He is the son of Dave Shula, grandson of Don Shula, and nephew of Mike Shula.

Chris Shula

Los Angeles Rams
Position:	Defensive coordinator
Personal information
Born:	(1986-02-05) February 5, 1986 (age 39) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Career information
High school:	St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
College:	Miami (OH)
Career history
As a coach:
Ball State (2010) Assistant linebackers coach Indiana (2011–2013) Graduate assistant John Carroll (2014) Defensive coordinator San Diego Chargers (2015–2016) Defensive quality control coach Los Angeles Rams (2017–2018) Assistant linebackers coach Los Angeles Rams (2019–2020) Outside linebackers coach Los Angeles Rams (2021) Linebackers coach Los Angeles Rams (2022) Pass game coordinator & defensive backs coach Los Angeles Rams (2023) Pass rush coordinator & linebackers coach Los Angeles Rams (2024–present) Defensive coordinator
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (LVI)
Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference

Playing career

Shula played linebacker for the Miami RedHawks^[1] from 2004 until 2008 where he was teammates with Sean McVay.^[2]

Coaching career

Ball State

In 2010, Shula was hired as the assistant linebackers coach at Ball State University.^[3]

Indiana

In 2011, Shula joined the Indiana University as a graduate assistant.

John Carroll

In 2014, Shula was hired as the defensive coordinator at John Carroll University.^[4]

San Diego Chargers

In 2015, Shula was hired by the San Diego Chargers as a defensive quality control coach under head coach Mike McCoy.^[5]

Los Angeles Rams

In 2017, Shula was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as their assistant linebackers coach under head coach Sean McVay.^[6] In 2019, Shula was promoted to outside linebackers coach.

On February 23, 2021, Shula was promoted to linebackers coach.^[7] That year, the Rams became Super Bowl champions when the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.^[8] In 2022, Shula was promoted to pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. In 2023, Shula was promoted to pass rush coordinator and linebackers coach.

On February 2, 2024, Shula was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Rams, replacing Raheem Morris, following his departure to become the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.^[9]

Personal life

Chris is the son of former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Dave Shula. He is also the grandson of the late Hall of Fame coach Don Shula.^[10][11][12] His uncle Mike Shula was the former head coach at Alabama, worked as an offensive coach for several NFL teams, and is currently an offensive analyst for the South Carolina Gamecocks.^[13]