Giff Smith enters his first season as the outside linebackers coach for the Chargers in 2022 after spending the last six seasons coaching the club's defensive line. In his 11 seasons in the NFL, Smith has coached four players to earn a combined nine Pro Bowl selections.
Smith will again work with Pro Bowl outside linebacker Joey Bosa, who he tutored as the defensive line coach from 2016-20 when Bosa played defensive end for the Bolts. Smith will also work with newly-acquired six-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Khalil Mack and other edge rushers in 2022. Bosa was named to three of his four Pro Bowls and consensus 2016 Defensive Player of the Year honors under Smith, also earning first-team All-Pro recognition from Sporting News in back-to-back seasons (2019-20).
In 2021, the defensive line unit transitioned to a 3-4 base front. Under Smith's guidance, defensive lineman Jerry Tillery set career highs in sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (six). Defensive lineman Justin Jones totaled a career-high three sacks, five tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries in just 11 games played. Defensive lineman Christian Covington also amassed a career-high 52 tackles (30 solo).
Over his first five seasons (2016-20) with the Bolts, Smith coached Bosa and defensive end Melvin Ingram III each to three Pro Bowls. Bosa set an NFL record early in his career with 19.0 sacks in his first 20 career games. Smith was part of a defensive staff that coached the unit to finish ranked inside the top-10 in total defense in three-straight seasons (2018-20). In 2020, the defense finished the year ranked No. 10 in the NFL in total defense and ninth in passing defense. Smith coached four defensive linemen to record multiple sacks on the year, while Bosa ranked second in the conference with 15 tackles for loss to earn his third Pro Bowl nod.
A year earlier, Smith's unit was part of the sixth-ranked total defense in the NFL and the league's No. 5 pass defense. It marked the fourth time in 20 years the Bolts had a top-five passing defense. That 2019 season, Bosa posted the third double-digit sack campaign of his career (11.5 sacks) to earn all-star accolades for the second time in his career and was recognized with All-Pro honors from Sporting News and All-AFC from the Professional Football Writers of America. Ingram was selected to his third Pro Bowl in a row after posting his fifth-straight season with at least seven sacks.
Smith coached the defensive line unit in 2018 to post 27.5 of the team's 38 sacks, as eight defensive linemen recorded a sack, including five with multiple takedowns. The defense finished the year ranked No. 9 in total defense, rushing defense and passing defense — the first top-10 total defense for the Bolts since 2014 and the highest-ranked rushing defense for the team since 2012. Ingram was named to his second Pro Bowl in as many seasons after posting seven sacks and his first career interception. In the Week 5 win over Oakland, he became just the second player in NFL history to have a sack, an interception and rushing attempt in the same game, joining Jets linebacker Mo Lewis (2000). Smith's unit impacted the team's AFC Wild Card win at Baltimore, as Ingram had a pair of sacks in the game and caused a turnover by forcing a fumble in the first quarter that lead to the game's first points. Rookie defensive end Uchenna Nwosu added an 18-yard strip-sack in the game's waning seconds to seal the victory.
The duo of Bosa and Ingram became one of the fiercest tandems in the NFL, combing for 23.0 sacks in 2017 and leading the league in pressures en route to their first Pro Bowl selections. Bosa set a career-high with 12.5 sacks to rank seventh in the league, while Ingram equaled a career-best with 10.5 sacks. The defense ranked fifth in the NFL with 43 sacks on the season, with the line recording 36 of those takedowns. The line helped disrupt opposing quarterbacks for the defense to lead the NFL in red zone defense and rank third in passing defense.
In Smith's first season with the club, the defensive line contributed to the NFL's 10th-ranked rush defense. The Chargers held nine of their 16 opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground and recorded the NFL's second-highest percentage of tackles for loss. Bosa captured NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after leading NFL rookies with a team-high 10.5 sacks. Despite playing in just 12 games, Bosa also led the Chargers in tackles for loss and quarterback pressures. As a unit, the defensive line accounted for nearly half (16) of the team's 35 sacks on the season.
A native of Mableton, Ga., Smith was a three-time All-America defensive end at Georgia Southern. He was a team captain as a senior and a part of three NCAA I-AA national title teams (1986, '89-90) for the Eagles.
Smith launched his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arkansas (1991-93) and Georgia (1994-95). He then spent three seasons (1996-98) coaching wide receivers and the secondary at Georgia Southern before taking over as the defensive line coach at Tulane from 1999-2003.
After Tulane, he served as the defensive line coach at Georgia Tech for six seasons (2004-09), adding recruiting coordinator duties in 2006. The Yellow Jackets led the nation in sacks (47) in 2007 and also ranked No. 2 in tackles for loss. One of Smith's best players at Georgia Tech was defensive tackle Joe Anoaʻi, who earned a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection following the 2006 season. Anoaʻi played five games for the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos in 2008 and wrestles in World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) as Roman Reigns, winning three WWE World Heavyweight Championships and a pair of WWE Universal Championships. Three additional linemen who played for Smith at Georgia Tech went on to play in the NFL — Michael Johnson, Vance Walker and Derrick Morgan.
Smith moved to the NFL in 2010, taking over as the defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills. He spent three seasons in Buffalo (2010-12), during which time defensive tackle Kyle Williams was selected to the first two Pro Bowls of his career and defensive end Mario Williams had a 10.5-sack season.
Prior to joining the Chargers, Smith spent two years (2014-15) coaching the defensive line in Tennessee. In 2014, Smith helped the Titans implement a 3-4 scheme, and defensive tackle Jurrell Casey posted a career-high 13 tackles for loss. In 2015, the Titans racked up 39 sacks, tied for 12th in the league. The defensive line accounted for 13.5 of those sacks, including a team-high-tying seven by Casey, who was selected to his first-career Pro Bowl following the season.
Smith and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Ava and Sam. In 2000, Smith was inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletic Hall of Fame.
