The Florida A&M Rattlers are set to lose another coach as Murray State hires away defensive coordinator Ryan Smith, according to Football Scoop. Smith was an FCS Coordinator of the Year Finalist as he constructed one of the best defenses in the SWAC. Instead of returning to Tallahassee, Jody Wright, the head coach for Murray State, convinced Smith to run the defense in Murray, Kentucky.

Smith started his coaching career at Valdosta State as a student assistant in 1999. He spent a number of years as a high school head football coach in Florida. In 2015, he became an offensive quality control coach under the recently retired Nick Saban at the University of Alabama. That year, the Crimson Tide won the College Football Playoff National Championship.

From 2016 to 2018, Smith moved back to Florida as an assistant recruiting coordinator for the University of Florida. He eventually joined Florida A&M in 2018 as the linebackers coach, recruiting coordinator, and director of player personnel. Shortly after his hiring, Smith became the team's defensive coordinator in 2020, then was promoted to associate head coach most recently in 2023.

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Smith's defenses have consistently ranked at the top of the SWAC since he became a coordinator. In 2021, the Rattlers ranked in the top-25 around the nation in multiple categories. The roster boasted Isaiah Land, the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and the school's first Buck Buchanan Award-winner. Land led FCS football in sacks and tackles for loss. Florida A&M also had safety Markquese Bell, a key player now for the Dallas Cowboys. Land also signed with the Cowboys in 2022.

Between 2022 and 2023, Smith helped develop linebacker Isaiah Major. In 2022, Major made the Phil Steele All-SWAC First Team and the All-SWAC Second Team. He improved even more last season, making the All-SWAC First Team outright and winning the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year Award.