Phil Snow

Phil Snow was hired as Nebraska's associate head coach in December of 2024. A veteran defensive coach with a history of success, Snow will reunite with Rhule after serving as the defensive coordinator on Rhule’s staffs at Temple, Baylor and with the Carolina Panthers.

A veteran with 37 years of collegiate coaching experience, Snow has served as defensive coordinator at seven previous schools, including UCLA, Washington, Arizona State, Boise State, Eastern Michigan, Temple and Baylor. He also has eight years of NFL experience with the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears.

Snow has worked in a consulting role for the Huskers this season and spent the 2023 season as a senior defensive analyst with the Chicago Bears. Prior to that, Snow worked on Rhule’s coaching staff for 10 consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2022.

Snow was the defensive coordinator for the Panthers from 2020 to 2022, highlighted by the 2021 season when the Panthers ranked second in the National Football League in total defense.

The play of Snow’s defenses at Baylor and Temple helped both of those programs have dramatic turnarounds. In 2019, Baylor reached the Big 12 Championship game with the Bear defense finishing second nationally in takeaways (30), third in interceptions (17), eighth in sacks per game (3.31) and fifth in turnover margin (1.08). During Snow's final year in Waco, Baylor defensive tackle James Lynch finished fifth in the nation in sacks (13.5) and was named the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year.

Prior to Baylor, Snow spent four seasons at Temple under Rhule, where his squad led the AAC in defense in both 2015 and 2016. The 2016 defense ranked third nationally in total defense (282.5 ypg) and 11th in scoring (18.4 ppg) to help lead the Owls to an AAC championship and a 10-4 record. Snow coached All-AAC linebacker and eventual first-round draft pick Haason Reddick, picked 13th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2017.

Rhule and Snow first came together at UCLA in 2001, where Snow was the defensive coordinator and Rhule served as assistant defensive line coach. In 2001, the Bruins led the Pac-10 in total defense.

Originally from Winters, Calif., Snow went to Cal-State Hayward and began his collegiate coaching career at Laney College in 1979 and had coaching stops at Boise State, Cal, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington, before his first stint in the NFL with the Lions.

COACHING CAREER
Pinstripe Bowl/2025: Nebraska (Associate Head Coach)
2023: Chicago Bears (Senior Defensive Analyst)
2020-22: Carolina Panthers (Defensive Coordinator)
2019: Baylor (Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
2017-18: Baylor (Defensive Coordinator)
2013-16: Temple (Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
2010-12: Eastern Michigan (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
2006-08: Detroit Lions (Linebackers)
2005: Detroit Lions (Defensive Assistant)
2004: Washington (Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
2003: Washington (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks)
2001-02: UCLA (Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
1995-2000: Arizona State (Defensive Coordinator)
1992-94: Arizona State (Defensive Backs)
1987-91: California (Defensive Backs)
1983-86: Boise State (Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
1982: Boise State (Defensive Backs)
1980-81: Laney College (Defensive Coordinator)
1979: Laney College (Defensive Backs)
1977-78: Winters High School (Defensive Backs)
1976: Berkeley High School (Defensive Backs)