Meet Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams' 32-year-old offensive mastermind who has taken the NFL by storm

Meredith Cash

Jan 18, 2019, 00:37 IST

Meet Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams' 32-year-old offensive mastermind who has taken the NFL by storm

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Sean McVay is the youngest coach in the NFL and he's already changing the game.

Sean McVay may be the most exciting coach in the NFL.
Since being named head coach of the Los Angeles Rams at just 30 years old, McVay has transformed the team from a perennial bottom-dweller to a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Check out McVay's background and how he found his way to the top of the league below:

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has captured the attention of the NFL world with his stunning memory and his brilliant offensive mind.

A Marietta, Georgia, native, McVay became the youngest head coach in the history of the league when he was hired to coach Los Angeles at 30 years old. In his first season at the helm, McVay led Los Angeles to an 11-5 record and its first division championship since 2003 and later became the youngest NFL coach ever to win coach of the year honors. In the time since, McVay has transformed the Rams from perennial bottom-dwellers to Super Bowl contenders.

But McVay didn't become the wunderkind of NFL coaching overnight. Check out his background and how he found his way to the top of the league below:

A Marietta, Georgia, native, Sean McVay was born into a football family. His grandfather, John, held various positions with the San Francisco 49ers and oversaw five Super Bowl championship squads.

He played quarterback and defensive back for the Marist School War Eagles, becoming the first player in program history to rack up 1,000 rushing and throwing yards in back-to-back years.

McVay beat out legendary Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson for Georgia 4A Offensive Player of the Year after leading his team to a state championship in 2003.

He went on to play wide receiver for the Miami (OH) RedHawks, recording 312 yards on 39 receptions over the course of his collegiate career.

After he graduated in 2008, McVay took a job as a coaching assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under head coach Jon Gruden.

At just 23 years old, McVay moved on from the Buccaneers to become Jay Gruden's tight ends coach for the United Football League's Florida Tuskers.

The following year, McVay jumped back to the NFL as an assistant tight ends coach under head coach Mike Shanahan.

He was promoted to tight ends coach a year after that and held the position through 2013.

McVay became Washington's offensive coordinator in 2014 when Jay Gruden took over head coaching responsibilities for the team.

In 2016 — his final season as offensive coordinator in D.C. — McVay's offensive unit broke many franchise records, including yards per game with 403.4 and total net yards with 6,545.

That year, quarterback Kirk Cousins finished the season with 406 completions and 4,917 passing yards, both of which were single-season team records. He also matched the Washington record for 300-yard passing games with seven on the year.

From there, Sean McVay was hired to lead the Los Angeles Rams when he was 30 years old, making him the youngest head coach in modern NFL history.

He's transformed the franchise from a perennial bottom-dweller to a legitimate Super Bowl contender in his short time at the helm.

The Rams were 4-12 during the season prior to McVay's arrival, but they improved to 11-5 and won their first division championship since 2003 once he took the reins.

The team made stunning strides on the offensive side of the ball. Los Angeles boasted the 32nd-ranked scoring offense in 2016 but became the league’s top-scoring team in 2017 under McVay's tutelage.

That same year, he became the youngest person to win NFL coach of the year honors.

Los Angeles has been a force to reckon with in the NFC ever since, and McVay has everything to do with their overhaul.

He made headlines in 2018 by showing off his unbelievable memory.

Rams HC Sean McVay literally remembers every play of his coaching career 😲 pic.twitter.com/r9gC2mcajM

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 13, 2018

And did it again a few months later by rattling off all 11 of his opponent's defensive starters off the top of his head in 2018.

I want a coach with this type of attention to detail. Full scouting report on the Bears defense. Literally all 11 starters.. pic.twitter.com/MPYPkh3gR1

— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) December 5, 2018