Sean McVay

Sean Patrick McVay (born January 24, 1986) is an American professional football coach. He is the head coach for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL). He became the youngest NFL head coach ever when he joined the Rams in 2017 at age 30.

Before the Rams, McVay coached with teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Florida Tuskers, and the Washington Redskins.

In his first year with the Rams, McVay helped turn the team into the best-scoring team in the league for 2017. That season, the Rams got their first winning record and division title since 2003 and made their first playoff appearance since 2004.

With McVay as coach, the Rams reached Super Bowl LIII in 2018 and won Super Bowl LVI in 2021. This was the team's first championship since 1999. By 2024, McVay became the winningest head coach in Rams' history. His success started a trend in the NFL, called the "Sean McVay effect", where teams began looking for younger, creative offensive coaches.

Early life and family

Sean McVay was born on January 24, 1986, in Dayton, Ohio. His parents are Tim and Cindy McVay. Tim played football at Indiana University and worked for Cox Communications. Cindy worked as an interior designer. When Sean was six, his family moved to the Atlanta, Georgia area.

Sean's grandfather, John, was a famous football coach. He coached at the University of Dayton, the Memphis Southmen in the World Football League, and the New York Giants in the NFL. He also worked for the San Francisco 49ers.

High school football

McVay attended Marist School in Brookhaven, Georgia and graduated in 2004. He played football as a quarterback and safety. He was the first player in his school's history to run and pass for more than 1,000 yards in two seasons in a row. He helped his team win a state championship in his final year and was named the Georgia 4A Offensive Player of the Year.

College career

Sean McVay attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He played college football as a wide receiver from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, he received Miami's Scholar-Athlete Award. While there, he played in 26 games and caught the ball 39 times for 312 yards. He completed his studies at Miami in 2008, earning a degree in Health and Sports Studies.

Coaching career

Sean McVay started his coaching career as an assistant wide receivers coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under head coach Jon Gruden. He then worked as a quality control/wide receivers coach for the Florida Tuskers in the United Football League, where he first worked with Jay Gruden, the Tuskers' offensive coordinator.

In 2010, McVay joined the Washington Redskins as an assistant tight ends coach under head coach Mike Shanahan. He was promoted to tight ends coach the next season, a role he held through 2013. During this time, he coached several tight ends, including Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, Logan Paulsen, and Jordan Reed.

In 2014, McVay became the offensive coordinator for the Redskins under new head coach Jay Gruden. He helped develop Kirk Cousins into a successful quarterback. Cousins led the team to back-to-back winning seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2016. McVay's success caught the attention of other teams, leading to interviews with the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.

In 2017, McVay was hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams at the young age of 30, making him the youngest head coach in NFL history. He inherited a team that had struggled in previous seasons but quickly turned things around. Under his leadership, the Rams improved dramatically, earning their first playoff berth since 2004 and their first winning season since 2003. McVay was named NFL Coach of the Year for his outstanding rookie season.

In 2018, McVay guided the Rams to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002. His team showed remarkable improvement and reached the playoffs again in subsequent seasons. In 2021, McVay led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory.

McVay continued to lead the Rams through various challenges. In 2024, he became the franchise's all-time leader in coaching victories. Despite setbacks, McVay remained committed to the team, signing contract extensions and continuing to guide the Rams through successful seasons.

In 2025, McVay faced high expectations as the Rams aimed for another Super Bowl appearance. Despite some setbacks, McVay led the team to the playoffs once more. Following the season, McVay and general manager Les Snead signed extensions to continue leading the team, with owner Stan Kroenke praising their contributions to the franchise.

Head coaching record

Coaching tree

Sean McVay has worked under four NFL head coaches: Jon Gruden with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008, Jim Haslett with the Florida Tuskers in 2009, Mike Shanahan with the Washington Redskins from 2010 to 2013, and Jay Gruden with the Washington Redskins from 2014 to 2016.

Ten of McVay's assistants have become head coaches in the NFL or college football. They include Matt LaFleur with the Green Bay Packers since 2019 and Zac Taylor with the Cincinnati Bengals since 2019.

"Sean McVay effect"

Because McVay did well as a young head coach for the Rams, many NFL teams now look for younger coaches who know a lot about offense. This change is called the "Sean McVay effect." Some coaches hired because of this trend worked with McVay before, like Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor, Kevin O'Connell, and Liam Coen. Others, like Kliff Kingsbury, also got big jobs faster after seeing McVay's success.

McVay was the youngest head coach in the NFL for seven years until Jerod Mayo took the job with the New England Patriots in 2024.

Personal life

Sean McVay lives in Hidden Hills, California with his wife, Veronika Khomyn. Veronika used to be a model from Ukraine. They met when he was a coach in Washington and she was a student at George Mason University. They got engaged in Cannes, France in 2019 and married in 2022. They have two sons, Jordan and Christian.

McVay grew up in a Catholic family.