Ex-Ravens Coach Brian Billick Accepts New College Coaching Role

Getty Former Baltimore Ravens head coach Brian Billick talks with defensive tackle Tony Siragusa during Super Bowl XXXV.

Former Baltimore Ravens head coach Brian Billick was hired by the Arizona State University football program to become the Sun Devils’ as an offensive analyst and advisor to head coach Herm Edwards, per ESPN’s Matt Barrie.

The move, which was formally announced by the program on January 24, sees Billick reunite with former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, who was Billick’s defensive coordinator in Baltimore from 1999 to 2001. Lewis was the primary architect of the Ravens’ record-setting defense in 2000, which held opponents to just 970 rushing yards and 165 points in the regular season on their way to a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

Billick also joins Lewis and Edwards, who previously coached the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs, as the Sun Devils’ third ex-NFL head coach on their staff. Arizona State finished third in the Pac-12 South Division in 2021, but lost to the Wisconsin Badgers in the Las Vegas Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

Edwards released a statement through the Sun Devils to announce the hiring:

“I have known Brian since the 1980s and he is a person whom I completely trust. He has built one of the finest reputations the NFL has ever known, serving as a head coach, an assistant coach and as a respected television analyst. Brian has one of the brightest offensive minds in football today and that is especially why I hired him.  He will serve as a valuable resource to our entire coaching staff, but specifically to our offensive staff.”

Billick’s Coaching History

Billick spent much of his early coaching career under Dennis Green, making him part of legendary coach Bill Walsh’s coaching tree. Green was on Walsh’s staff both at Stanford University and with the San Francisco 49ers.

He was hired by the Ravens in 1999 and brought a Super Bowl to Baltimore in just his second season as head coach, famously banning any mention of the playoffs during the 2000 regular season, which he lifted after a 12-4 record and a playoff berth.

But Billick struggled to replicate his postseason success in subsequent years, eventually getting fired on New Year’s Eve in 2007 after a 5-11 season. He was replaced within a month by John Harbaugh, who still coaches the Ravens today as the NFL’s fourth-longest tenured head coach.

Since then, Billick has served as an NFL analyst for both Fox and NFL Network, as well as the Ravens.

ASU Draft Targets for the Ravens

Just as the Sun Devils are adding Billick to their football program, they are sending a few players to the NFL who could become Ravens at the 2022 NFL Draft.

With the futures of Ronnie Stanley, Ja’Wuan James and Bradley Bozeman up in the air, Baltimore is expected to take at least one offensive lineman in the draft. 

Offensive tackle Kellen Diesch currently sits as the 70th-ranked player on Pro Football Focus’s draft board after earning a 87.2 blocking grade in 2021. He only allowed seven quarterback pressures all season across 12 starts at left tackle on the way to an 89.4 pass blocking grade, making him an intriguing prospect for a Ravens team that badly needs tackle depth.

Center Dohnovan West could be another target for the Ravens, especially if they don’t re-sign Bozeman. He started 12 games for the Sun Devils this season, but did not play in the Las Vegas Bowl due to surgery on his hand, per Donnie Druin of Sports Illustrated. While Baltimore will likely value West most as a center, he also has experience at either guard position, making him a versatile potential addition to the Ravens offensive line.