Barrett Ruud was named Atlanta Falcons inside linebackers coach on Feb. 2, 2024.

Ruud comes to Atlanta with eight years of collegiate coaching experience, having most recently served as inside linebackers coach at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, from 2018-22.

In 2022, Ruud led a linebacker group that helped the Nebraska defense limit its opponents to average only 313.3 yards per game, register 39 sacks, and record the third-best third-down percentage (37.9 percent) in the Big Ten West. Under Ruud's guidance, linebacker Luke Reimer led Nebraska in tackles with 86 on the season, despite missing a pair of games due to injury, en route to being named an All-Big Ten honorable mention for his second consecutive season. 

Linebackers Reimer and Luke Henrich flourished under Ruud's coaching in 2021, helping Nebraska allow just 22.7 points per game, the best by a Husker defense in 11 seasons. Nebraska's 366.0 yards per game allowed also marked its best total in five years. Reimer led Nebraska with 109 tackles, including five double-figure tackle games with 16 tackles against Buffalo and 19 against Purdue. Reimer also recorded six tackles for loss, broke up six passes and forced three fumbles and was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection. Henrich nearly joined Reimer in reaching 100 tackles, registering 98 tackles in his first full season as a starter. Henrich had three games with double-figure tackles, including a career-high 15 stops against Michigan.

Ruud adeptly rotated inside linebackers in 2020 as the Huskers battled injuries. Linebacker Will Honas led the group with 57 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks on his way to all-conference honors. Collin Miller recorded 27 tackles in four games before a neck injury ended his playing career. Reimer made 40 tackles and five tackles for loss, while redshirt freshman Henrich moved inside late in the season and finished the year with 27 tackles. Ruud's linebacker group was instrumental in helping Nebraska rank sixth in the Big Ten in total defense.

In Ruud's second season with the Huskers in 2019, Nebraska's top three tacklers were inside linebackers. Mohamed Barry led the team in tackles for the second straight season with 89 stops, while Honas was second with 73 tackles, and Miller finished third on the team with 67 tackles. Barry earned All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season. 

In his first season as inside linebackers coach in 2018, Ruud's inside linebackers helped Nebraska improve by 27 spots in the national scoring defense rankings from the 2017 season and by 61 spots in pass efficiency defense. Both of Ruud's starting inside linebackers put together impressive seasons in 2018, with Barry leading the team with 112 tackles, the best by a Husker linebacker since All-American Lavonte David had 133 tackles in 2011. Barry ranked second in the Big Ten in tackles per game and earned all-conference accolades. Dedrick Young II also had a career high in tackles in his lone season with Ruud as his position coach. Young totaled a career-high 83 tackles in 2018 to end his career with 284 tackles, the fifth-highest total in Nebraska history. In addition to his career high in tackles, Young also broke up a career-high five passes and intercepted the first pass of his career.  
 
Prior to Nebraska, Ruud spent two seasons (2016-17) as a quality control administrator at the University of Central Florida after beginning his coaching career as a defensive intern at Nebraska in 2014. Rudd helped the Knights to a 13-0 record in 2017 when Central Florida was the nation's only unbeaten team and won the American Athletic Conference title and the Peach Bowl. The Knights were also among the top teams in the nation in takeaways, with their 58 takeaways in 2016 and 2017 ranking third among FBS schools in that span. 

As a player, Ruud was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round (36th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. In his eight-year NFL career, he recorded 658 tackles, seven interceptions, six sacks and six forced fumbles in 113 games for the Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans. At Nebraska, Ruud finished with a program-record 432 tackles. He earned freshman All-America honors in 2001, third-team All-America honors in 2004 and was a three-time All-Big 12 selection. 

A Lincoln, Neb., native, Ruud and his wife, Jenna, have two sons, Brooks and Hudson, and one daughter, Jaimes.