Nicholas John Rallis (born July 13, 1993) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Minnesota and previously served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles.
 Rallis with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 | |
| Arizona Cardinals | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 13, 1993 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Edina (MN) |
| College: | Minnesota |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Record at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life and education
editRallis was born on July 13, 1993, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended Edina High School, being rated No. 8 in Minnesota by Rivals.com at the time of his graduation.[1] As a sophomore, he recorded 81 tackles, one interception, and one sack, being named honorable mention all-Lake Conference. He played on both offense and defense during his junior year of high school, carrying the ball 54 times for 251 yards with five touchdowns on offense, and 72 tackles, 57 solo, on defense.[1] He was named third-team all-metro by the Star-Tribune following the season. He tallied 13 tackles in his senior season before missing the rest due to an injury.[1]
After his graduation from high school, Rallis played college football at University of Minnesota. He spent his first season, 2012, as a redshirt before appearing in ten games the following year. In 2013 he recorded seven tackles and was named Academic All-Big Ten. Rallis made his debut against UNLV, where he made three tackles. In his sophomore year, he played against Eastern Illinois, making three tackles, before suffering a season-ending injury against Middle Tennessee. As a junior in 2015, Rallis appeared in 13 games and made 18 tackles, including three for loss. He recorded a career-high nine tackles against Wisconsin. In his senior season, he appeared in 11 games, starting three, and made 37 tackles, 6.5 for loss and his first career sack. Against Wisconsin he led the team with 3 tackles for loss and recorded his only career sack against Washington State.[1]
Coaching career
editEarly career
editRather than pursue a professional football career, Rallis accepted an offer by Wake Forest University as a quality control coach and graduate assistant.[2] He spent one season at Wake Forest before being hired professionally by the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL).
Minnesota Vikings
editRallis was originally hired by the Vikings to work with computer breakdowns and opponent scouting but quickly moved up to the position of defensive quality control coach.[3] He was also given the position of assistant linebackers coach in 2020.[4]
Philadelphia Eagles
editIn 2021, he was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles to be their linebackers coach,[5] making him the youngest position coach in the NFL.[6][7] Rallis helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl in 2022, while producing one of the best linebacking trios in the league in Hassan Reddick, Kyzir White, and T. J. Edwards.[8]
Arizona Cardinals
editRallis was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals on February 18, 2023, making him the youngest coordinator in the NFL.[9] The move reunited him with head coach Jonathan Gannon, who served as the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles during Rallis' tenure there.
Personal life
editHis brother Mike Rallis, is a professional wrestler better known by his ring name Riddick Moss.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Nick Rallis - Football". University of Minnesota Athletics.
- ^ "Nick Rallis - Football Coach". Wake Forest University Athletics.
- ^ "Vikings Name Nick Rallis Defensive Quality Control Coach". www.vikings.com.
- ^ "Nick Rallis Coaching Record". Pro Football Archives.
- ^ Erby, Glenn (February 2, 2021). "Philadelphia Eagles hire Vikings assistant Nick Rallis as linebackers coach". Eagles Wire. USA Today. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ McMullen, John. "Nick Rallis Brings Energy, Ambition, and Some Answers". Sports Illustrated Philadelphia Eagles News, Analysis and More.
- ^ "Meet Eagles youngest position coach with overwhelming passion for football". RSN. May 18, 2021.
- ^ Root, Jess (February 19, 2023). "New Cardinals DC Nick Rallis' linebackers were superb for Eagles in 2022". USA Today.
- ^ Browne, Jack (February 19, 2023). "Report: Cardinals hire 29-year-old Rallis as DC; will be NFL's youngest coordinator". theScore.com. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "The Rallis Regimen". University of Minnesota Athletics.