It was 2017. The Los Angeles Rams had just hired a 30-year-old kid named Sean McVay. Critics called it a PR stunt. They said he was too young to lead grown men. Then, the Rams started scoring. A lot. Suddenly, the "Sean McVay effect" wasn't just a buzzword; it was a blueprint.
Fast forward to January 2026. The league is unrecognizable compared to a decade ago. Every offseason, billionaire owners scour the Rams’ coaching staff like they're looking for the Golden Ticket. Why? Because the Sean McVay coaching tree has become the most profitable export in professional sports. If you shared a coffee with McVay in a Santa Monica Starbucks, you’re basically halfway to a head coaching interview.
But it’s more than just proximity. It’s a specific brand of football that prioritizes "illusion of complexity."
The Core Branches: Who Actually Made It?
When we talk about this tree, we aren't just talking about assistants. We're talking about guys who have reshaped entire divisions.
Matt LaFleur is the big one. He was McVay’s offensive coordinator for exactly one season in 2017. He went to Tennessee, then Green Bay, and has basically won ever since. Then you have Zac Taylor. People laughed when the Bengals hired him in 2019 because he was "just a QB coach." Well, he took Cincinnati to a Super Bowl.
The list keeps growing:
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- Kevin O’Connell: Left the Rams’ OC post after winning Super Bowl LVI to lead the Vikings.
- Raheem Morris: A rare defensive branch who recently took over the Falcons (again).
- Liam Coen: The latest success story, landing the Jacksonville Jaguars head job in 2025 after bouncing between the Rams and Kentucky.
Honestly, it’s getting a little ridiculous. At one point in 2024, nearly a quarter of the league’s head coaches had some direct tie to McVay or the 2013 Washington staff where he, Kyle Shanahan, and LaFleur all worked together.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Tree
There’s a huge misconception that McVay just teaches "plays." It’s not about the plays. Any coach can draw up a deep crosser.
The secret sauce is the "marriage" between the run and the pass. In a McVay system, every play looks identical for the first two seconds. The offensive line moves the same way. The quarterback’s footwork is identical. The defense has to guess. By the time they realize it's a pass, Cooper Kupp—or whoever the new star is—is already ten yards behind the linebacker.
The Defensive Shift: Chris Shula and the New Wave
For years, people thought the Sean McVay coaching tree was only for offensive gurus. That changed.
Enter Chris Shula. As of early 2026, Shula is the hottest name on the market. Yes, he’s the grandson of the legendary Don Shula, but he’s carving his own path. After taking over for Raheem Morris as the Rams' defensive coordinator, Shula turned a "rebuilding" unit into a top-five defense.
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Now, teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers—who just saw Mike Tomlin step down after 19 seasons—are reportedly eyeing Shula. It’s a shift. Owners aren't just looking for the next McVay offense; they want the culture. They want the energy. They want that specific "Rams way" of communicating with modern players.
Why Some Branches Wither
It’s not all sunshine and Super Bowls. Brandon Staley is the cautionary tale. He was a defensive genius for the Rams in 2020, got the Chargers job, and... well, it didn't end great.
The problem? Sometimes teams hire the "McVay association" without the McVay infrastructure. You can't just copy-paste a playbook if you don't have the leadership or the specific personnel.
We also saw Thomas Brown struggle in various stops. He’s a brilliant coach—currently helping develop Drake Maye in New England—but he’s proof that the "tree" doesn't automatically grant you a 12-win season. You still need the players. You still need the "it" factor.
The 2026 Landscape: Who Is Next?
If you’re looking for the next name to jump from McVay’s headset to a podium, keep an eye on Nate Scheelhaase.
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He’s currently the pass game coordinator in LA. He’s young, he’s articulate, and he’s been instrumental in the Rams' recent offensive evolution. In the 2025 season, McVay started using more "13 personnel" (three tight ends) and going under center more than anyone in the league. Scheelhaase was the architect behind a lot of those tweaks.
Don't be surprised if he's an OC or even a head coach by this time next year.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you're a fan—or a gambler—looking at the Sean McVay coaching tree, here is how to actually use this information:
- Watch the "Opt-In" Rate: McVay-trained coaches are becoming more aggressive. In 2025, the Rams had one of the highest "optimal go rates" on fourth down (over 85%). If a coach comes from this tree, expect them to trust the analytics over their gut.
- Look for the "Leaked" Tight End: The trademark of this tree is the tight end "leak" play. If you see a team suddenly using their TE as a primary deep threat (like the Jaguars with Liam Coen), that's the McVay influence at work.
- The Quarterback Kingmaker: This is the big one. Seven current head coaches once coached Jared Goff. There is a specific way these guys protect their QBs with play-action and heavy protection. If a team with a struggling young QB hires a McVay disciple, buy the stock early.
The league is cyclical. Usually, these trends die out. But the Sean McVay coaching tree feels different because it keeps evolving. It’s not a static system; it’s a lab. As long as McVay is in Los Angeles drawing on whiteboards with three different colored markers, the rest of the NFL will keep trying to steal his pens.
To stay ahead of the next hiring cycle, track the specific roles of Rams assistants like Aubrey Pleasant and Mike LaFleur. These are the names that will dominate the 2027 headlines. Focus on their specific units—passing yards per game and red zone efficiency—as these are the metrics owners value most when trying to find the "next big thing."