Vanderbilt’s Ryan Anderson to be inside LBs coach at East Carolina

Vanderbilt defensive graduate assistant Ryan Anderson will be the new inside linebackers coach for East Carolina coach Scottie Montgomery, according to a source.

It’s a reuniting of Anderson with new Pirates defensive coordinator Kenwick Thompson. Anderson worked the past two seasons under Thompson, Vanderbilt’s former associate head coach, who coached the Commodores’ linebackers this past year after a season as outside linebackers coach.

This past year was Anderson’s third in his position at Vanderbilt, which was 23rd in the FBS in scoring defense (21 points per game) and 28th in total defense (350.5 yards per game). Before his time in Nashville, he was Reinhardt University’s defensive line coach for a season.

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The 28-year-old Anderson coached linebackers and was a recruiting coordinator at Cumberland University from 2010–11. He got his start in coaching working with the linebackers and tight ends at E.C. Glass High in Lynchburg, Va.

A Forest, Va., Product, Anderson was a standout linebacker at Presbyterian from 2006–09. Montgomery was hired as East Carolina’s head coach earlier last month after two years as Duke’s associate head coach, offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

He replaces Ruffin McNeill, who was abruptly fired last month following a 5–7 season.

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