Washington Football Team defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

WFT defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio on USC opening: 'I'm going to channel Mike Tomlin'

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 10/28/21

Washington Football Team defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio joined the long list of coaches who have been asked about the USC football gig on Thursday. As a forrmer Trojans linebacker who earned consensus All-American honors in 1984, the topic was bound to come up eventually.

On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was also asked about his rumored connections to the job and emphatically denied having any interest. When answering a reporter's question about USC on Thursday, Del Rio referenced Tomlin's response.

Jack Del Rio, a USC alum, is asked that head coach opening: " I'm going to channel Mike Tomlin..." pic.twitter.com/Y3MtdQRp7g
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) October 28, 2021

After his 11-year NFL playing career ended in 1995, Del Rio grabbed his first coaching gig at the pro level as the strength and conditioning coach for the New Orleans Saints in 1997. The now-58-year-old spent two seasons with the Saints before spending three years as a linebackers coach with the Baltimore Ravens and one as the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers.

Del Rio held his first head-coaching job from 2003 to 2011 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, then was the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator for three years and the then-Oakland Raiders head coach for three seasons. After spending two years as an ESPN NFL analyst in 2018 and 2019, Del Rio earned his current position in 2020.

USC fired coach Clay Helton on Sept. 13, two days after the Trojans' 42-28 loss to Stanford. Helton had been with USC since 2013 and went 46-24 over 70 career contests, while going 2-3 in bowl games.

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