The Pittsburgh Steelers are interviewing Texas Tech outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You for a position on the initial staff of new head coach Mike McCarthy , according to a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Ah You, 43, has been at Texas Tech since 2022 as the team's outside linebackers coach. He was also the interim defensive coordinator for the Red Raiders' bowl game in 2024.
Texas Tech had one of the best defenses in college football in 2025, finishing third in the nation with 11.8 points per game allowed. The Red Raiders also finished third in yards allowed, first in rushing defense, 26th in passing defense and second in turnovers.
There are four Red Raiders currently in the top 100 prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft , according to the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board, and all four are on defense — No. 8 edge rusher David Bailey, No. 41 defensive tackle Lee Hunter, No. 44 edge rusher Romello Height and No. 90 linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
A La Habra, California native, Ah You played collegiately at BYU and Oklahoma, where he was Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2005 and was a First-Team All Big 12 selection as a defensive end in 2006.
He was a seventh-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2007, but was cut after the preseason in his rookie year. He caught on with the St. Louis Rams, first the practice squad, before being added to the 53-man roster in 2009.
From 2009-11, he played in 33 games for the Rams and made three starts. Ah You recorded six career sacks, 41 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, three passes defended and one forced fumble. He was released in March 2012, and did not play again.
Ah You got his start in coaching at his alma mater, joining the staff of Oklahoma under Bob Stoops in 2015. He then spent three years as the defensive line coach at Vanderbilt, before jumping to the pro game as the defensive line coach of the New York Guardians of the XFL in 2020. From there, Ah You was a quality control analyst with USC in 2021 before joining the Texas Tech staff.
The Steelers currently do not have a defensive line coach or an outside linebackers coach on the new staff under McCarthy and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham , with both Karl Dunbar and Denzel Martin expected to move on.
The Dallas Cowboys also interviewed Ah You, and have also expressed interest in Martin, requesting an interview with the former Steelers coach.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers to Interview Fast-Rising College OLB Coach
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