Atlanta Falcons Add Former National Champion Assistant to Coaching Staff

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons have reportedly hired former University of Connecticut defensive line coach LaTroy Lewis to be their assistant defensive line coach. This report comes from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

The #Falcons are expected to hire UConn defensive line coach LaTroy Lewis as an assistant defensive line coach, sources tell @CBSSports.

The ex-Tennessee and NFL defensive lineman was DL coach at Toledo this past season before heading to UConn. Before Toledo, worked at Michigan. pic.twitter.com/yM5Qg5qb6r
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 10, 2026

The assistant coach will provide support for defensive line coach Nate Ollie. The Falcons will be looking to replicate a breakout season where they broke the franchise record for sacks in a single season with several young faces on the defensive line.

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The unit will look to improve on a rush defense that finished No. 24 in run defense, allowing 126.2 yards per game, and expected points added per rush (+0.01).

Lewis, 32, made the jump to the NFL from the college football ranks just about a month after the assistant coach took his position with the Huskies. He was originally hired as the defensive line coach of UConn back in January, following new head coach Jason Candle from the Toledo Rockets.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant, making stops with the Akron Zips (2020 to 2021), South Alabama Jaguars (2021), Wake Forest (2021 to 2022), and Michigan Wolverines (2022 to 2024), where he helped them win two Big 10 Championships and a national title under Jim Harbaugh.

His position at Toledo in 2025 was his first as a primary position coach (defensive line).

Lewis played with the Tennessee Volunteers for five seasons, spanning from 2012 to 2016. After redshirting as a freshman, the defensive lineman racked up 77 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, deflected a pair of passes, forced two fumbles, and recovered a fumble during his time in Knoxville.

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He went undrafted in 2017, choosing to sign with the (then) Oakland Raiders for training camp, but he was waived by the regular season. Lewis would then bounce around a little bit, playing with the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans in 2017 and 2018. He appeared in two games over the course of his career, both in 2017 with the Texans. He recorded one sack and made three tackles.

His last appearance as a player came in the XFL with the Houston Roughnecks, but he would transition to the coaching ranks soon afterwards.