Brand new Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen joins Scott Bair and Tori McElhaney to discuss how he got into coaching after a productive football career at USC, detailing a journey that has led him to Atlanta and his first opportunity to call plays at the professional level. Nielsen takes fans back to the beginning, when he was a three-sport star in Southern California, with an untold story about how he committed to USC, and how he eventually decided football was his passion. Nielsen gives credit to his mentors who help him along the way, as he worked his way up the coaching ranks and eventually ended up in Atlanta.

00:00 - Intro

00:15 - Benefits of being multi-sport athlete

01:43 - Being recruited by USC

04:40 - Football without passion is not worth playing

05:47 - Moment football became career goal

07:23 - Lessons from coaching start

08:45 - The value of relationships

10:12 - Cameron Jordan & Ed Orgeron friendships

13:18 - Ryan Nielsen’s coaching philosophy

15:13 - Rapid Fire Questions

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.