WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed on Monday that Raymond "Bubba" Ventrone will be the Rams' new special teams coordinator and Kyle Hoke will be an assistant special teams coach.
Ventrone has been a special teams coordinator or assistant special teams coordinator in the NFL for the past 11 years. He started out with the Patriots as an assistant from 2015-17 before being promoted to coordinator with Indianapolis from 2018-22. He held the titles of assistant head coach and special teams coordinator with the Browns for the past three seasons before being hired by the Rams this past week.
During his playing career, lasting from 2005-14, Ventrone contributed primarily on special teams, and McVay recalled watching him as a player and coach.
"There is an energy, there is a toughness mentally and physically that he provides," McVay said of Ventrone. "There is a style of play philosophically with how he believes in coaching, what his units have looked like, where he foundationally learned what he knows about this game. There is a lot of guys that he's kind of come from that have had really a ton of success as (special) teams coordinators."
McVay lauded his success in New England, where he learned and grew under legendary head coach Bill Belichick, as well as Indianapolis and Cleveland.
Meanwhile, Hoke was Ventrone's assistant last season with the Browns, his first time coaching in the NFL and on special teams. Between 2012 and 2024, Hoke coached at eight different college programs, and the majority of his jobs were on defense, including stints as a safeties coach for San Diego State and a defensive analyst for Texas A&M.
McVay said he's "excited about" Hoke and the partnership he has with Ventrone.
"He's the guy I've had my eye on for a while," McVay said of Ventrone. "... Very aligned philosophically. He's got a great energy, a great edge. He's a great communicator. You talk to people when you do the vetting and the background and what he does in regards to just being able to uplift and elevate people he's around in situations he's a part of."
