University of Connecticut Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Defensive Coordinator
Ryan Manalac comes to UConn for the 2026 season and will be the Huskies defensive coordinator on head coach Jason Candle’s staff. Manalac, a former standout collegiate linebacker at Cincinnati, spent the last five seasons at Pittsburgh as linebackers coach.
Manalac’s arrival at Pitt served as a reunion with head coach Pat Narduzzi as the pair previously worked together when Narduzzi was defensive coordinator at Cincinnati and Michigan State. Manalac’s linebacker unit has been instrumental for a Pitt defense that annually ranks among the nation’s stingiest. He has also produced some highly productive and decorated individual players.
In 2024, Manalac helped guide linebacker Kyle Louis to arguably the nation’s most versatile defensive campaign of the year. Louis became the first sophomore defensive player at Pitt to earn First Team All-America since the legendary Hugh Green in 1978. He totaled 105 tackles, four interceptions, a forced fumble, 15.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, 27 pressures and nine QB hurries—a stat line that has only been recorded one other time in college football over the last decade. Additionally, linebacker Rasheem Biles totaled 77 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and an interception (returned for a touchdown) in the regular season, with his average of 1.3 TFLs per game ranking 10th nationally. Biles was selected All-ACC (second team by Associated Press and third team by conference voting panel).
Moreover, Manalac saw linebacker Brandon George earn a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. In 2022, linebacker SirVocea Dennis had an impressive senior campaign, leading the team in tackles (94) and forced fumbles (tied with two), while ranking second in tackles for loss (12) and sacks (seven). Dennis earned first team All-ACC and was a third team Pro Football Focus All-American. A Senior Bowl invitee, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2023 NFL Draft and enjoyed an impact rookie year for the NFC South champs.
Prior to Pitt, Manalac spent two years as defensive coordinator at Bucknell, which had its 2020 season cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2019, Bucknell’s defense ranked among the very best in Patriot League play, finishing first in sacks (32), turnovers gained (14) and defensive touchdowns (four). The Bison ranked second in total defense (319.7 avg.) and rushing defense (96.3 avg.). Manalac’s unit produced six total defensive TDs to lead the Football Championship Subdivision. The Bison’s 37 overall sacks ranked fifth nationally. He also coached the Bucknell linebackers and had three players named to Phil Steele’s All-Patriot League team, including first-team selection Simeon Page, who paced the Bison in sacks (nine) and tackles for loss (12.5).
Manalac was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Ohio Dominican University during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. During that two-year span, ODU surrendered just 15.9 points per game in conference play, the lowest average in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Ten Ohio Dominican defensive players earned f irst team all-conference under his watch. Linebacker Ross Thompson was named the G-MAC Defensive Player of the Year after compiling a school-record 110 tackles. Thompson finished his career as ODU’s all-time tackles leader with 294 stops.
Manalac earned his first full-time coaching appointment in 2016 at Valparaiso, overseeing the linebackers. At Michigan State from 2011-15, Manalac served as a graduate assistant on both sides of the ball and also worked with special teams, recruiting and video. During his tenure, the Spartans achieved four Top 10 finishes, four bowl victories, two Big Ten championships and a berth in the 2015 College Football Playoff. Manalac worked directly under Narduzzi with Michigan State’s defense during the 2012 and 2014 seasons. At the conclusion of each of those campaigns, the Spartans ranked among college football’s finest defensive units. The 2014 team won the Rose Bowl and finished with an 11-2 record behind a defense that led the nation in fewest rushing yards allowed (88.5 avg.) and finished eighth in fewest total yards allowed (315.8 avg.).
Initially a walk-on at Cincinnati, Manalac would earn a scholarship and four letters for the Bearcats. He compiled nearly 200 tackles during his career and was a starting linebacker his final two seasons. As a senior, he collected a team-high 82 stops to help Cincinnati win the 2008 Big East title and advance to the Orange Bowl. Manalac, who was honored with Cincinnati’s prestigious C-Club Strothman Award for academic and athletic excellence, went on to sign with the Buffalo Bills.
A native of Pickerington, Ohio, Manalac and his wife, Carly, have two children: daughter Bailey and son Lewis. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cincinnati (2008) and additionally owns a master’s degree in kinesiology from Michigan State (2012).
