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LSU defensive staffer reportedly leaves for position in the NFL

Keith Farner

By Keith Farner

Published:

Brian Kelly is reportedly losing one of his defensive graduate assistants to the NFL, according to a report from Bruce Feldman, of The Athletic.

Feldman reported that Asauni Rufus will join the San Francisco 49ers staff in a quality control position. He has previously worked at Nevada, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.

Rufus, a Bakersfield, California, native graduated from Nevada in 2019 as a psychology major. He was a four-year letter winner (2015-18) and three-time All-Mountain West selection (2016-18) as a defensive back with the Wolfpack. Rufus closed his career ranked third in career tackles with 340 and helped Nevada to a pair of Arizona Bowl appearances, in 2015 and 2018, according to his Vanderbilt bio.

Clark Lea brought Rufus with him to Nashville.

“I’ve kind of always known I wanted to be a coach after I was done playing,” Rufus told Nevada Sports Network of getting into coaching in 2019. “I didn’t know when it’d be, but I definitely wanted to coach. I loved coaching even when I was playing. I tried to always help the guys out. It’s a good feeling being able to help somebody achieve their goals.”

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.

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