Background and career
Sean Patrick McVay (born January 24, 1986) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He became the youngest NFL head coach in the modern era when he was hired by the Rams in 2017 at the age of 30 years and 353 days. McVay is also the youngest head coach to reach and win a Super Bowl as well as be named NFL Coach of the Year. Prior to his tenure in Los Angeles, McVay worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an offensive assistant, the Florida Tuskers as the wide receivers coach, and the Washington Redskins as an offensive assistant, the tight ends coach, and the offensive coordinator. Within his first year, McVay turned a Rams team that had the league's lowest scoring offense the previous year into the top-scoring team of 2017. The season also marked the Rams' first winning record and division title since 2003 and first playoff appearance since 2004. Over the following seasons, McVay led the Rams to an appearance in Super Bowl LIII in 2019, a victory in Super Bowl LVI in 2022, the franchise's first championship since 1999, and became the winningest head coach in Rams' history in 2024. His success in Los Angeles is credited with spawning the "Sean McVay effect", in which NFL teams were more inclined to hire younger, offensive-minded head coaches.
Sean Patrick McVay was born on January 24, 1986, in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Tim and Cindy McVay. Tim played football as a defensive back at Indiana University, where he was a two-time team captain. Tim and Cindy met when they were both students at Indiana, and they got married in 1981. Tim embarked on a successful career spanning four decades as a television executive for Cox Communications, and Cindy became an interior designer. The McVay family lived in Dayton until Sean was six years old, and they eventually settled in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. Sean's paternal grandfather, John, was a longtime football coach at the high school, college, and professional levels. Most notably, he was the head coach for the University of Dayton, the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League, and the NFL's New York Giants, before transitioning into front office roles. John served as an executive for the San Francisco 49ers between 1980 and 1999, winning the NFL's Executive of the Year award for the team's successful 1989 season.
McVay attended and graduated from Marist School in Brookhaven, Georgia in 2004. He was a four-year starter at Marist as a quarterback and safety for the War Eagles high school football team and the first player in school history to amass 1,000 yards rushing and passing in consecutive seasons. McVay totaled 2,600 yards rushing and 40 rushing touchdowns during his career and also passed for 2,500 yards and 18 touchdowns, leading the War Eagles to a 26–3 record, including a 14–1 record and state championship his senior year, when McVay was also named the Georgia 4A Offensive Player of the Year over future NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
McVay attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he played college football as a wide receiver from 2005 to 2007, earning Miami's Scholar-Athlete Award in 2007. Playing in 26 games over three seasons, McVay recorded 39 receptions for 312 yards for the RedHawks in his college career. He graduated from Miami in 2008 with a B.S. in Health and Sports Studies.
McVay began his coaching career as an assistant wide receivers coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008 under head coach Jon Gruden. The next year, McVay was the quality control/wide receivers coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League (UFL). With Florida, McVay first worked under Jay Gruden, who was the Tuskers offensive coordinator.
In 2010, McVay was hired as the assistant tight ends coach for the Washington Redskins under head coach Mike Shanahan. The following season, McVay was promoted to tight ends coach, a position he held through the 2013 season. During these years, McVay coached multiple tights ends such as Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, Logan Paulsen, and Jordan Reed. On January 14, 2014, McVay was promoted to offensive coordinator by new head coach Jay Gruden. He would succeed his future NFC West coaching rival Kyle Shanahan in that role. Over the next three seasons, McVay had a direct impact in developing Kirk Cousins into a franchise quarterback. Becoming the full-time starter in 2015, Cousins led the Redskins to back-to-back winning seasons, throwing for over 9,000 yards and more than 50 touchdowns under McVay's direction. In 2016, Cousins was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time. McVay's success with Cousins made him an attractive head coaching candidate and following the season, McVay was interviewed by both the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
