Giff Smith (born October 12, 1968) is an

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

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 Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(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 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

and

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

Early life and education

A native of

Mableton, Georgia Mableton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. According to the 2020 census, Mableton has a population of 40,834. Upon Brookhaven's cityhood in December 2012, Mableton became ...

, Smith played defensive end at

Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hi ...

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 land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

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

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

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 Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

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 or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

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 head ...

. 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 who is currently an offensive analyst for Penn State. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was drafted in the twelfth round of the 19 ...

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 that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

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

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

under head coach

Anthony Lynn Anthony Ray Lynn (born December 21, 1968) is an American football coach and former running back who is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in t ...

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

Brandon Staley Brandon John Staley (born December 10, 1982) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 ...

. 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.

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.

References

External links

Los Angeles Chargers 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