Robb Smith is in his seventh season at Rutgers in 2025 and serves as co-defensive coordinator and play caller. A native of Leechburg, Pennsylvania, Smith previously worked on the Scarlet Knights' staff in various roles, including as defensive coordinator, from 2009-12 and from 2020-21. He also worked on Schiano’s staff for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013. A two-time Broyles Award nominee, he most recently coordinated the Duke defense in 2022, one of the top turnarounds nationally, and was part of Penn State’s staff the past two years (2023-24).
• Smith worked as an analyst for a Nittany Lion team that appeared in the 2024 Big Ten Championship Game and won two games in the College Football Playoff. He also handled the role of co-defensive coordinator and play caller for the 2023 Peach Bowl.
• Smith served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Duke in 2022. After the Blue Devils recorded an 0-8 ledger in ACC play in 2021, Smith took over the defense and guided the team to a 5-3 conference mark to match the best one-year improvement by a winless team in league history. In addition, the plus-six wins overall equaled the second-best turnaround in ACC history. The defense went from ranked 127th nationally to 31st in points allowed per game, while the team had an ACC-best and No. 2 national turnover margin of plus-16, claiming the Military Bowl over UCF for its ninth win of the year.
• Smith mentored nine players to 12 All-Big Ten honors as defensive coordinator in two seasons (2020-21), including two-time recipients in LB Olakunle Fatukasi, DB Christian Izien and DL Julius Turner. Fatukasi and Izien joined DB Tre Avery, DB Christian Braswell, DL Michael Dwumfour, LB Deion Jennings, LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams, DL Ifeanyi Maijeh, DB Max Melton, DB Avery Young and DB Brendon White as Scarlet Knights on the defensive side of the ball who signed NFL contracts.
• In 2021, Rutgers held opponents to 52-for-162 on third down (32.1 percent), the 11th-best percentage nationally following the regular season. That mark included nine games allowing five or less conversions. The Scarlet Knights also finished the season holding opponents to under 300 yards of total offense on six different occasions.
• Smith led a defense that gained 19 turnovers in 2020, most in a season for the team since 2012 when he was previously RU defensive coordinator, and an increase of 10 from the preceding season. That included at least one takeaway in eight games, multiple in four games and at least four two times highlighted by seven (most for Rutgers in a game since 2000) in the season-opening win at Michigan State.
• Rutgers led the Big Ten and ranked No. 11 nationally with 7.8 tackles-for-loss per game. The team had three games in double figures with a high of 13 in the win at Maryland.
• Rutgers posted 21 sacks, most in a Big Ten season and an increase of eight from the previous season.
• Smith spent the 2019 season as a defensive analyst with Texas A&M and prior to that, served as the defensive coordinator at Minnesota during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
• The Golden Gophers allowed a total of 274 points in 2017, the fewest permitted by the team since 2004. Smith also worked with the linebackers and saw LB Thomas Barber earn All-Big Ten Third Team honors after posting 115 tackles.
• Smith came to Minnesota from Arkansas, where he spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach. His defense ranked No. 10 in both scoring defense (19.2 points per game) and total defense (323.4 yards per game) in 2014, as he was named a Broyles Award nominee. It was the first time since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992 that the Razorbacks had finished in the top 10 in either statistic. In addition, Arkansas became the first unranked team in college football history to post back-to-back shutouts of ranked opponents when the Razorbacks blanked No. 20 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss in November of that season.
• In 2015, Smith's unit excelled against the run, as Arkansas held 12-of-13 opponents below their season rushing average. The Razorbacks allowed only 116.46 yards per game on the ground, which ranked second in the Southeastern Conference and 12th in the nation.
• Then in 2016, Smith's defense was at its best in the second half of games, as Arkansas allowed only 51 points in the third quarter and 73 in the fourth quarter. His defense also yielded only 12 passing touchdowns in 13 games, while it brought in 10 interceptions, forced 14 fumbles and recovered 11.
• Smith spent the 2013 season as linebackers coach for Schiano in Tampa Bay, which included coaching LB Lavonte David. An All-Pro, David became the first linebacker and third player since the sack became an official statistic in 1982 to register at least 100 tackles with at least six sacks and five or more interceptions in a season.
• Smith served in various capacities on the Rutgers staff, including defensive coordinator and secondary coach in 2012, special teams coordinator and linebackers coach in 2011, special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach in 2010 and special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach in 2009.
• The 2012 season saw Rutgers claim its first conference title since 1961 and the fifth in school history. The Scarlet Knights finished the year ranked fourth in the nation in points allowed per game (14.2), sixth in rushing yards allowed per game (95.2), 10th in total defense (311.6 yards per game) and tied for third in rushing touchdowns allowed (6). Smith claimed a spot as a Broyles Award nominee. Rutgers allowed just 91 points against seven Big East opponents, ranking as the eighth-lowest total in conference history. The defense held opponents to 95.2 rushing yards per game, only the third time in school history the Scarlet Knights kept the opponent average below 100 yards.
• Under Smith's guidance, Rutgers became one of the best special teams units in college football. The Scarlet Knights ranked in the top 10 in blocked punts each of his three years coordinating the unit. Rutgers led the country in 2010 with nine blocked punts, tied for second in 2011 with nine and ranked eighth in 2009 with five. While Smith was at Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights led the nation with 31 blocked kicks. They were also one of the best in the nation in punt and kick returns for touchdowns, tying for fifth with five punt return touchdowns and tying for ninth with four kickoff return touchdowns. Their nine combined special teams touchdowns tied for the fifth-highest total in the NCAA during that time.
• Smith worked at the University of Maine as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator (2006-08), special teams and linebackers coach (2005) and defensive backs coach (2002-04). Under Smith, Maine boasted one of the top defenses in the FCS, highlighted by the 2006 team that ranked first in rush defense, second in total defense, third in sacks and fourth in scoring defense.
• A 1997 graduate of Allegheny (Pa.) College with a bachelor's degree in economics, Smith was a three-year letterwinner at strong safety. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa from 1999-2001 and earned his master's degree in communications studies from Iowa in 2002.
Hometown: Leechburg, Pa.
Alma Mater: Allegheny, 1997
Wife: Amy
Children: Sons, Charlie and Jack
2025-present: Rutgers (co-defensive coordinator)
2023-24: Penn State (analyst)
2022: Duke (defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2020-21: Rutgers (defensive coordinator)
2019: Texas A&M (defensive analyst)
2017-18: Minnesota (defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2014-16: Arkansas (defensive coordinator/secondary)
2013: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (linebackers)
2012: Rutgers (defensive coordinator/secondary)
2011: Rutgers (special teams coordinator/linebackers)
2010: Rutgers (special teams coordinator/cornerbacks)
2009: Rutgers (special teams coordinator/outside linebackers)
2006-08: Maine (assistant head coach/defensive coordinator)
2005: Maine (special teams/linebackers)
2002-04: Maine (defensive backs)
1999-01: Iowa (quality control/defensive graduate assistant)
