Chris Kiffin enters his 19th year of coaching (seventh in the NFL) and joins the Houston Texans as the linebackers coach after spending the last three seasons (2020-22) as the defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns.
Prior to joining the Browns staff, Kiffin served as the pass rush specialist for the San Francisco 49ers (2018-19), where he coached alongside former 49ers defensive coordinator and current Houston Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans.
During his time with the Browns, Kiffin worked closely with DE Myles Garrett, who earned three Pro Bowl selections in three seasons with Kiffin as his defensive line coach (2020-22). Garrett finished the 2022 season tied for the second-most sacks in the NFL (16.0) and had the highest pass rush grade (93.5) among all defensive players according to Pro Football Focus. He also broke the franchise career-sack record by posting 74.5 sacks in 84 career regular season games with the Browns. Kiffin's unit posted 21 passes defensed in 2022, which tied for the most passes defensed by a defensive line in the NFL.
In 2021, the Browns defense ranked fifth in total yards per game (311.5) and second in total yards per play (5.02) under Kiffin's leadership. The unit totaled 43.0 sacks on the season, 16.0 of which were recorded by Garrett, setting a new franchise single-season sack record. In his first season with the Browns (2020), Kiffin helped Garrett and DL Olivier Vernon become one-of-four pairs of teammates to each post at least 9.0 sacks. Kiffin's unit finished ninth in total run defense (110.8 yards per game) after finishing 30th the previous season (144.7 yards per game).
Prior to joining the Browns, Kiffin served as the San Francisco 49ers pass rush specialist for two seasons (2018-19) where he helped develop 2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year DE Nick Bosa. As a rookie, Bosa posted 9.0 sacks, which ranked as the fourth-most sacks by a rookie in franchise history, and 25 quarterback hits, which was the most among rookies in the league that season. In his first season with the 49ers (2018), Kiffin helped DL DeForest Buckner record a career-high 12.0 sacks en route to his first career Pro Bowl selection.
Before joining the NFL coaching ranks, Kiffin coached at the collegiate level for 13 seasons. He was named a finalist for the Broyles Award and recognized as college football's top assistant coach in 2017 while serving as the co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach for Florida Atlantic University. Kiffin helped the Owls defense rank second in the nation with 20 interceptions and guided future NFL LB Azeez Al-Shaair to a Conference USA-high 147 tackles on the season.
Kiffin's collegiate coaching stint also included serving as the defensive line/defensive recruiting coordinator for Mississippi (2012-16), defensive line assistant for Arkansas State (2011), defensive administrative assistant for Southern California (2010), offensive quality control coach for Nebraska (2008-09), graduate assistant for Mississippi (2007) and coaching assistant for Idaho (2005-06). During this time, Kiffin coached many future NFL players, including Mississippi's DL Robert Nkemdiche and DL Marquis Haynes, as well as Arkansas State's 2011 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year DL Brandon Joiner.
His first NFL experience came as the quality control intern with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2006) where he worked with the defensive line during offseason OTAs and minicamp.
Kiffin played four seasons (2000-04) at defensive tackle for Colorado State University and earned his bachelor's degree from the school in 2005. His father, Monte, coached 24 seasons in the NFL while his older brother, Lane, is the head football coach at Ole Miss.
The Tampa, Fla., native and his wife, Angela, have three daughters, Grace, Taylor and Bella, and one son, Christian.
Pro Bowl Players Coached (3): DE Myles Garrett (2020-22), DE Nick Bosa (2019), DT DeForest Buckner (2018)
All-Pro Players Coached (2): DE Myles Garrett (2020-22), DT DeForest Buckner (2019)
