Tim DeRuyter is in his fourth season at Cal in 2020 and his first as the team's associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator. He is also in his third campaign working with Cal's outside linebackers. DeRuyter is in his 31st season as a collegiate coach including four-plus seasons as the head coach at Fresno State (2012-16) and his 20th campaign as either a defensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator.
DeRuyter has helped orchestrate dramatic improvements on the defensive side of the ball throughout his first three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Cal including cutting opponents' scoring from No. 127 the season before his arrival (42.6 ppg) to No. 22 in 2018 (20.4 ppg) and No. 33 in 2019 (21.9 ppg). Through the end of the 2019 season, Cal has held 18 of its last 20 opponents to 25 points or less. The stretch began at Oregon State on Oct. 20, 2018 and reached 14 straight games to become the longest active run in the nation before it came to an end at Utah on Oct. 26, 2019.
Cal has zoomed up the national rankings in two years under DeRuyter in nearly every defensive category including bests during his tenure of No. 9 in passing yards allowed (175.1 ypg) and No. 15 in total defense (317.2 ypg), as well as No. 21 in sacks (2.77 spg) and No. 27 in rushing defense (126.3 ypg) in 2019.
DeRuyter paired with Peter Sirmon in 2019 to earn FootballScoop Linebackers Coaches of the Year presented by AstroTurf honors when the duo's top pupil was the nation’s leading tackler in inside linebacker Evan Weaver, who finished the campaign with a school-record 182 tackles while earning consensus First-Team All-American honors and was a finalist for the Butkus Award, Lott IMPACT Trophy, The Lombardi and the Senior Class Award, as well as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Weaver (182) and fellow inside linebacker Kuony Deng (119, No. 3 Pac-12, No. 15 NCAA) finished with a combined 301 tackles that not only helped Cal lead the nation for most tackles by a duo for a second straight season but was six shy of Cal’s school-record of 307 recorded by a duo by Weaver (159) and Jordan Kunaszyk (148) in 2018. DeRuyter also coached outside linebacker Cameron Goode to the best season of his career with all-time highs in tackles (57), tackles for loss (14.0, -76 yards), sacks (9.5, -62 yards) and quarterback hurries (6), with his per-game tackles for loss (1.17) ranking second in the Pac-12 while his sacks (0.79) were third.
Cal also made a tremendous improvement in 2019 in one of the few areas it had lacked previously in DeRuyter's first two seasons with the team's 36.0 sacks ranking second in Pac-12 and 21st nationally. Goode led the charge with his totals while playing in a career-high 12 games after seeing each of his two previous campaigns end after a combined 10 games with season-ending injuries.
DeRuyter also helped coach cornerback Camryn Bynum and safety Ashtyn Davis to second-team All-Pac-12 seasons, while Deng, Goode, safety Jaylinn Hawkins and defensive end/defensive tackle Zeandae Johnson were honorable mention choices. Brett Johnson picked up third-team Freshman All-American honors from Pro Football Focus.
All of Cal's national and Pac-12 honorees had career highs in tackles.
DeRuyter was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award that honors the nation's top assistant coach in 2018 when the Golden Bears ranked among national and Pac-12 leaders in nearly every category. Cal ranked in the top 10 nationally and paced the conference in interceptions (21, No. 2 NCAA), defensive touchdowns (5, No. T4 NCAA), turnovers gained (28, No. 6T NCAA) and passing yards allowed (175.1 ypg, No. 9 NCAA). The Bears also paced the conference and ranked in the top 20 in the country in pass efficiency defense (107.26, No. 11 NCAA) and first downs allowed (227, No. 18 NCAA). Cal was also 15th nationally in total defense (317.2 ypg) and 22nd in scoring defense (20.4 ppg) while registering third in the Pac-12 in both areas.
Cal's two starting inside linebackers – Weaver (Pro Football Focus) and Kunaszyk (Sports Illustrated) – earned second-team All-American honors in 2018. Kunaszyk added first-team All-Pac-12 recognition from the league's coaches while both earned first-team all-conference accolades from multiple media organizations. The 307 tackles between them were the most by any duo in the nation and the highest total ever by two players in a single season at Cal. Weaver's 159 tackles were the second highest total in the nation and tied for third on Cal's all-time single-season list at the time while his 12.2 stops per game were sixth in the country. Kunaszyk's 148 tackles are the fifth-highest single-season total in school history and fifth nationally with his 11.4 tackles per contest ninth in the nation. Weaver and Kunaszyk ranked second and third, respectively, in the Pac-12 in both total tackles and tackles per game.
But Weaver and Kunaszyk weren't the only defensive standouts for the Bears in 2018 as Luc Bequette, Bynum and Davis were honorable mention All-Pac-12 selections of the league's coaches with Bynum and Davis adding All-Pac-12 honors from media outlets. Each of the three joined Weaver and Kunaszyk in the starting lineup all 13 games. Hawkins paced the Pac-12 and tied for third nationally with his six interceptions including three in the Cheez-It Bowl to earn Defensive Player of the Game honors and a spot on Sports Illustrated's All-Bowl squad.
In DeRuyter's first campaign at Cal in 2017, the Bears gave up 14.2 points less per contest than the year before his arrival in 2016. Much of the 2017 team's success came from its big-play ability on defense. Cal ranked among the nation's best for much of the season in nearly every defensive category related to turnovers before finishing tied for 21st in defensive touchdowns (4), tied for 27th in fumbles recovered (10), tied for 29th in turnovers gained (24) and tied for 32nd in passes intercepted (14). Cal's seven takeaways in a 37-3 win over then No. 8/9 Washington State equaled the most by an FBS team in 2017 with the Bears' 9.0 sacks in the contest the most by a Cal team since 2005.
The 2017 Cal defense had better total numbers and rankings than the 2016 squad in 14 of the 15 primary team defensive statistics tracked by the NCAA. Even more impressively the Bears' average improvement in the national rankings was just under 40 spots per category in those 15 defensive statistics.
Inside linebacker Devante Downs was making his case for All-American and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors in DeRuyter's first season at Cal in 2017 before suffering an injury in the seventh game of the campaign against Washington State that ended his season and collegiate career. He still managed to rank second on the team with 65 tackles despite missing the final five games. Inside/outside linebacker Raymond Davison finished with 62 tackles to rank third on the team while leading the squad with 4.5 sacks and co-leading the club along with Downs and cornerback Elijah Hicks with two forced fumbles. James Looney paced Cal's defensive linemen with 41 tackles, while ranking second to outside linebacker Alex Funches with 9.5 tackles for loss and adding 3.5 sacks as well as a team co-leading two fumble recoveries.
Current NFL players DeRuyter has coached at Cal include Kunaszyk (Carolina), Downs (New York Giants) and Looney (Green Bay). Downs and Looney were both honorable mention All-Pac-12 choices in DeRuyter's first season in Berkeley in 2017.
Prior to his arrival at Cal, DeRuyter was the head coach at Fresno State for four-plus campaigns from 2012 through the first eight games of 2016. DeRuyter's tenure with the Bulldogs got off to a strong start with Fresno State posting a 20-6 record in his first two seasons while winning at least a share of the Mountain West Conference title and qualifying for bowl games in each of his first three campaigns. The conference titles were Fresno State's first since 1999 and first-back-to-back league championships since 1992 and 1993.
DeRuyter's best season in Fresno came in his second campaign when the 2013 Bulldogs matched a single-season school-record for victories by posting an 11-2 record and won the MWC's inaugural championship game before playing in the Las Vegas Bowl. Fresno State ranked as high as No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll at one point and finished No. 20 in the final BCS standings, the highest of any non-automatic qualifying BCS conference team that year.
DeRuyter sandwiched his record-setting 2013 campaign with 2012 and 2014 seasons that also yielded conference titles.
The Bulldogs won a co-MWC crown and played in the Hawaii Bowl before finishing with a 9-4 overall record for an impressive five-win turnaround in his first season at Fresno State in 2012. DeRuyter coached both the MWC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in 2012 in quarterback Derek Carr and unanimous All-American safety Phillip Thomas, who was also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award after leading the nation in interceptions with eight. Davante Adams was also the MWC Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference choice.
The 2014 squad began the campaign with three consecutive losses to a trio of teams – USC, Utah and Nebraska – that were all ranked at one point in the season, but the Bulldogs rebounded to win a share of the MWC's West Division and a spot in a second straight MWC title game before wrapping up their season at the Hawaii Bowl for the second time in three campaigns.
Prior to his head coaching position at Fresno State, DeRuyter was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for two seasons at Texas A&M (2010-11).
DeRuyter's final game at Texas A&M was in the role of interim head coach at the 2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl when the Aggies were a 33-22 winner over Northwestern. Texas A&M led the nation with 51 sacks (3.92 spg) and ranked third with an average of 8.00 tackles for loss per game in 2011 while fielding a defense that was 12th nationally against the rush (101.85 ypg).
In his first season at Texas A&M in 2010, DeRuyter was a nominee for the Broyles Award and worked with one of the elite defensive players in the game in Butkus Award winner and two-time first-team All-American Von Miller. Miller would go on to become the second overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft by Denver and led the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 title as the game's Most Valuable Player.
DeRuyter also coordinated one of the nation's most successful defenses at Air Force in 2009 when the Falcons were in the top 10 in both pass defense (154.31 ypg, No. 5) and scoring defense (15.69 ppg. No. 10) while ranking 11th in total defense (288.31 ypg). Air Force was a combined 25-14 and played in three Armed Forces Bowls during his second coaching stint at his alma mater from 2007-09. DeRuyter served as the defensive coordinator all three campaigns while adding associate head coach responsibilities in his final two. He was also the safeties coach in his first season in 2007.
DeRuyter had the opportunity to work as the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for College Football Hall of Fame coach Chris Ault at Nevada for two seasons from 2005-06, with the Wolfpack winning a co-Western Athletic Conference title in his first campaign and going to bowls both seasons playing at the 2005 Hawaii Bowl and 2006 MPC Computers Bowl.
DeRuyter also had two stints as the defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach at Ohio (1995-98, 2002-04) earlier in his career sandwiched around three seasons at Navy (1999-2001) as the defensive coordinator for the first two campaigns and defensive backs coach for the third.
DeRuyter got into coaching under another College Football Hall of Fame coach in Fisher DeBerry at Air Force first as a graduate assistant on defense in 1985 and then for four seasons as an assistant position coach while completing his seven and a half years of active military duty following his graduation from the Academy. He earned a bachelor's degree in management from Air Force in 1985 and added an MBA in market strategy from Regis University in 1992. DeRuyter spent two years in private business before returning to coaching in 1994.
DeRuyter and his wife, Kara, have one son, Jake, and one daughter, Christina, graduates of Air Force and Texas A&M, respectively. Christina works for as the Director of On-Campus Recruiting for the football program at Texas Tech after previously working in the same role at Arizona.
Tim DeRuyter File
Birthdate: January 3, 1963
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
High School: St. John Bosco HS
College: Air Force, 1985, Bachelor's in Management; Regis University, 1992, Master's in Market Strategy
Pronunciation: duh-ROOT-er
Coaching History
*Season: Team – Position (Champions, Postseason)
1985: Air Force – Graduate Assistant, Defense (Bluebonnet Bowl)
1989: Air Force – Inside Linebackers Assistant (Liberty Bowl)
1990: Air Force – Outside Linebackers Assistant (Liberty Bowl)
1991: Air Force – Secondary Assistant (Liberty Bowl)
1992: Air Force – Secondary Assistant (Liberty Bowl)
1995: Ohio – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs
1996: Ohio – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs
1997: Ohio – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs
1998: Ohio – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs
1999: Navy – Defensive Coordinator
2000: Navy – Defensive Coordinator
2001: Navy – Defensive Backs
2002: Ohio – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs
2003: Ohio – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs
2004: Ohio – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs
2005: Nevada – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties (WAC Co-Champions, Hawai'i Bowl)
2006: Nevada – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties (MPC Computers Bowl)
2007: Air Force – Defensive Coordinator/Safeties (Armed Forces Bowl)
2008: Air Force – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator (Armed Forces Bowl)
2009: Air Force – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator (Armed Forces Bowl)
2010: Texas A&M – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator (Big 12 South Tri-Champions, Cotton Bowl)
^2011: Texas A&M – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Interim Head Coach (Meineke Car Care Bowl)
2012: Fresno State – Head Coach (MWC Co-Champions, Hawai'i Bowl)
2013: Fresno State – Head Coach (MWC Champions, Las Vegas Bowl)
2014: Fresno State – Head Coach (MWC West Division Champions, Hawai'i Bowl)
2015: Fresno State – Head Coach
+2016: Fresno State – Head Coach
2017: California – Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers
2018: California – Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers (Cheez-It Bowl)
2019: California – Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers (Redbox Bowl)
2020: California – Co-Defensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach/Outside Linebackers
*Season in which postseason was played; ^Elevated to interim head coach for Meineke Car Care Bowl; +Relieved of his duties as head coach after eight games
Last Updated
March 4, 2020
