John Timu enters his third season with the Chargers in 2023 and his first as the assistant defensive line coach after serving as a defensive assistant in 2022 and as the Alex G. Spanos Coaching Fellow in 2021.
Timu continued to assist the defensive line in his second season with the Bolts, helping Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach Jay Rodgers tutor a line that recorded 11.5 of the team's 40 sacks, led by defensive linemen Morgan Fox (6.5) and Sebastian Joseph-Day (2.0). Joseph-Day ranked tied for second in the AFC with nine tackles for loss and was just the third interior defensive lineman in the last 15 years to post 50 tackles, eight tackles for loss and an interception in a single season. The group was part of a defensive unit that had the best third-and-short defense in the NFL, allowing conversions on a league-low 48.6 percent of the time on third-and-one or third-and-two situations.
In his first year with the Bolts, Timu aided the coaching staff in the defense's transition to a 3-4 base front scheme, primarily contributing to the organization and day-to-day operation of the defensive coaching staff, specifically the defensive line and linebackers. As a unit, the Chargers' defense ranked third in the NFL with a conference-best 19 forced fumbles.
Timu joined the Bolts after spending two seasons (2019-20) as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, the University of Washington. In a condensed 2020 season, Washington finished the season as Pacific-12 Conference North Division Champions. In his first season returning to the Pacific Northwest, Washington finished with an 8-5 record, capping the campaign by beating Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Timu played three NFL seasons (2015-17) for the Chicago Bears, appearing in 29 career games and making nine starts at linebacker. In a 2015 win at Tampa Bay, he had six tackles and recovered two fumbles, becoming the first Bears defender to record multiple fumble recoveries in a single game since 2012. After being waived during final roster cuts prior to the 2018 season, Timu signed with the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football in early 2019.
Timu was a three-year starting linebacker at Washington, earning honorable mention All-Pac-12 recognition following his senior season in 2014. That year, he led the Huskies with 108 total tackles, while adding 10 passes defensed and two interceptions, including one he returned 63 yards for a touchdown.
A native of nearby Long Beach, Calif., Timu and his wife, Amanda, have three sons — Asaiah, Jireh and Jaxxon.
