The Los Angeles Rams have named their next head football coach, but this isn’t just any hire.
At 30 years old, Sean McVay becomes the youngest head coach in NFL history. He replaces Jeff Fisher, who was fired last month. The Rams finished the season 4-12.
“This is a great day as we welcome Sean McVay as our new head coach,” Rams owner Stanley Kroenke said in a press release. “The accomplishments and success that he has had in less than a decade in our league are impressive. We are confident in his vision to make this team a consistent winner and we will all continue to work together to achieve our ultimate goal — bringing a Rams Super Bowl championship home to Los Angeles.”
The Rams will hold an introductory news conference for McVay on Friday at noon (3 p.m. ET).
Previously, the youngest head coach was Lane Kiffin, who was 31 when he was hired by the Oakland Raiders in 2007.
“I am incredibly honored by this opportunity and I want to start by thanking Mr. Kroenke and Kevin Demoff for their faith in me to lead the Los Angeles Rams as head coach,” McVay said. “Collectively, we are committed to building a championship caliber team, and I’m excited to start that process and make our fans proud.”
Despite his age, McVay has several years’ experience in the league. He comes from the Washington Redskins, where he just completed his third year as the team’s offensive coordinator.
McVay, who was a wide receiver at Miami University in Ohio from 2004-2007, got a job as an assistant wide receivers coach in 2008 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent 2009 as a tight ends coach with the Florida Tuskers in the United Football League.
In 2010, he joined the Washington Redskins as an offensive assistant and was the tight ends coach from 2011-2013.
As Washington’s offensive coordinator, McVay helped develop quarterback Kirk Cousins, who led the league in completion percentage in 2015 at 69.8%. This season, Cousins passed for 4,917 yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, completing 67 percent of his passes.
This season, Washington finished third in the NFL in total offense with 403.4 yards per game, second in yards per play (6.40 yards) and second in passing offense (297.4 yards per game).
McVay, who was born in 1986, started making connections at a very young age with NFL players around the San Francisco 49ers organization. His grandfather, John McVay, was inducted into the 49ers Hall of Fame for his success in the team’s front office, helping construct the 49ers rosters that won five Super Bowls in the 1980s and 1990s.
Playing football runs in McVay’s family. His father, Tim, played at Indiana, and his uncle, John, played for Miami University in the mid-1970s.
McVay turns 31 on January 24.