Ryan Nielsen

Ryan Nielsen (born March 20, 1979) is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League (NFL). Nielsen played collegiate football as a defensive tackle at USC from 1997 to 2001, earning an All-Pac 10 honorable mention in 1999. After graduating, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2002 but did not make the final roster. Nielsen began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at USC and later worked as an administrative assistant at Idaho. He then became a graduate assistant at Ole Miss before serving as a defensive line coach at various colleges. In 2011, he joined Northern Illinois as a co-defensive coordinator.