Although the Los Angeles Rams parted ways with several assistant coaches in the offseason, they’ve also seen their fair share of personnel poached by other teams.
Sean McVay’s coaching staff is a popular place for other organizations to seek help from considering the head coach’s penchant for finding talent at both the NFL and college ranks. For example, the Rams saw Thomas Brown leave to take the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator job while Ra’Shaad Samples returned back to college to become Arizona State’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator.
Both Brown and Samples were responsible at various times for Los Angeles’ running backs room, though that phase of the offense struggled all throughout the 2022 season. The offensive line’s inability to gain any push could be attributed to the myriad of injuries they suffered, but the backfield didn’t help themselves with their individual play.
McVay heavily relies on the run game to set up his preferred passing attack, so finding a coach to help rejuvenate that part of his scheme is crucial. It seems, though, that he might’ve found his answer as the Rams are reportedly hiring San Diego State’s Ron Gould to become their new running backs coach, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2:
Los Angeles #Rams hire well-respected San Diego State running backs coach-associate head coach Ron Gould to coach running backs, per league sources, after previously considering @TexasLonghorns Tashard Choice and @UCLAFootball Deshaun Foster for the job @KPRC2 Strong hire
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 4, 2023
McVay reaches back into the collegiate pool for his next running backs coach and Gould makes for an intriguing hire as he’s never coached at the NFL level. However, he has plenty of experience on the sidelines as he’s been coaching since 1990 in a variety of roles.
Gould actually served as Stanford’s running backs coach for six seasons before accepting a job with San Diego State this past February. However, he didn’t stay long with the Aztecs as the Rams came calling, an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Gould got his start with Oregon before moving to Portland State for a season. He eventually found his way to Boise State where he coached defensive backs for four seasons, then moved on to the University of California where he served in a variety of roles before becoming the head coach at UC Davis.
McVay has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his hires, and Gould looks like a good one on paper. He’s well-regarded in football circles and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of impact he can make at the professional level.
