Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal officially announced Tim DeRuyter as the program’s defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach on Thursday. DeRuyter has been a defensive coordinator in 20 of his 31 seasons as a college coach.
“We are excited to add a coach of the caliber and experience as Coach DeRuyter to lead our defense,” Cristobal said. “He is a proven difference maker with a track record for developing players to their full potential, and he has accelerated significant improvement in all of his stops as a defensive coordinator. We look forward to the significant impact Coach DeRuyter will have on the Oregon football program and all of his contributions in taking our defense to the next level.”
DeRuyter has been a defensive coordinator or a head coach each of the last 19 seasons, including the past four years at California where he was also associate head coach in 2020. Prior to Cal, he was the head coach at Fresno State for four and a half seasons preceded by stops at Texas A&M, Air Force, Nevada, Ohio and Navy as defensive coordinator.
“I am beyond thrilled to be joining Coach Cristobal’s staff here at the University of Oregon,” DeRuyter said. “Coach Cristobal has reestablished Oregon as one of the power players in college football and I am fired up to coach our elite student-athletes to conference and national titles. The support of Oregon’s administration and fan base is legendary and I look forward to coaching a defense that is worthy of that support!”
In his four seasons at Cal, DeRuyter turned around a defense that ranked second-to-last nationally (No. 127) in the FBS in scoring defense prior to his arrival into a unit that has finished in the top five in the Pac-12 in that category each of the last three years. The Bears limited opposing offenses to 24 points or less in 20 of his last 24 games as defensive coordinator and finished in the top four in total defense in the Pac-12 each of the last three seasons.
A Broyles Award semifinalist in 2018, DeRuyter has led defenses at three different stops that have ranked in the top 15 nationally in several categories. His 2018 defense at Cal led the Pac-12 and ranked No. 9 in the country in pass defense (175.1).
The 2011 Texas A&M defense led the nation in sacks (51.0) while finishing third in tackles for loss per game (8.0) and No. 12 in rush defense (101.85) the year after Von Miller was taken No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft. DeRuyter also coordinated one of the nation's most successful defenses at Air Force in 2009 when the Falcons were No. 5 in pass defense (154.31), No. 10 in scoring defense (15.69) and No. 11 in total defense (288.31).
At Oregon, DeRuyter inherits a defense that returns seven starters, including three FWAA Freshman All-America selections over the last two seasons. One of those selections is Pac-12 Championship Game MVP Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has led team in sacks and tackles for loss each of the past two seasons.
California (2017-2020)
DeRuyter spent four seasons as defensive coordinator at California while also serving as the associate head coach in 2020. He worked with inside linebackers his first season at Cal while coaching outside linebackers his last three years with the Golden Bears.
In 2019, DeRuyter teamed with former Oregon player Peter Sirmon at Cal to earn the FootballScoop Linebackers Coaches of the Year by AstroTurf honors. In 2018, he was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award.
During his tenure at Cal, DeRuyter led a defense that showed marked improvement cutting opponents’ scoring from 42.6 points per game the season before his arrival to just over 20 points per game in 2018 and 2019. Cal allowed 26.5 points per game in 2020 while being limited to just four games because of COVID-19 issues.
The Bears ranked 127th in scoring defense the season before DeRuyter’s arrival in Berkeley, but immediately improved to the point where Cal ranked No. 22 in 2018 (20.4 ppg) and No. 33 in 2019 (21.9 ppg).
In his final 24 games as the defensive coordinator at Cal, the Bears held 20 of their last 24 opponents to 24 points or less. Of those 20 games, the Golden Bears held five of those opponents to 14 points or less and 17 to 21 points or less. Cal held 14 straight opponents to fewer than 25 points to start the impressive defensive stretch, the longest active run in the nation before it ended at Utah on Oct. 26, 2019.
During his four season at Cal, 20 of DeRuyter’s players earned All-Pac-12 Conference honors including nine that were first or second-team selections. Evan Weaver, a consensus All-America pick in 2019, led the way also claiming first-team all-conference honors after leading the nation in tackles with a school-record 182 stops. Weaver was a finalist for the Butkus Award, the Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Lombardi Award and the Senior Class Award, while earning Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Weaver, who also earned second-team All-America honors from Pro Football Focus in 2018, was one of two All-Americans DeRuyter coached during his time at Cal. Linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk claimed second-team All-America recognition from Sports Illustrated in 2018, after finishing with 148 tackles.
In 2018, DeRuyter earned a spot as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award after helping the Golden Bears rank among national and Pac-12 Conference leaders in nearly every statistical category. Cal ranked in the top 10 nationally and led the Pac-12 in interceptions (21 -- No. 2 in the nation), defensive touchdowns (5 -- tied for No. 4 in the nation), turnovers gained (28 -- tied for No. 6 nationally) and passing yards allowed (175.1 ypg – No. 9 in the nation). The Bears also led the conference and ranked in the top-20 nationally in pass efficiency defense and first downs. Cal was No. 15 nationally in total defense and 22nd in scoring defense while ranking third in the Pac-12 in both categories.
In DeRuyter’s first season with the Bears in 2017, Cal gave up more than two touchdowns (14.2 ppg) less per game than in 2016. Cal ranked among the nation’s best in converting turnovers into points scoring four defensive touchdowns which ranked 21st in the country. Cal also tied for 27th in fumbles recovered (10), tied for 29th in turnovers gained (24) and tied for 32nd in passes intercepted (14).
During DeRuyter’s four years at Cal, the Bears qualified for two bowl games going to back-to-back bowls in 2018 (Cheez-It Bowl) and 2019 (Redbox Bowl). It marked the first time the Bears had been to bowls in consecutive seasons since 2008 and 2009.
Five of DeRuyter’s Golden Bear players were selected in the NFL Draft, with three picked in the 2020 draft. The New York Jets selected Ashtyn Davis in the third round, the Atlanta Falcons picked Jaylin Hawkins in the fourth round and Weaver went to the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round. In the 2018 draft, Devante Downs and James Looney were both picked in the seventh round by the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, respectively.
oregon.rivals.com
