Keith Heyward enters his first season with the Raiders as a defensive quality control coach in 2023, bringing with him 18 seasons of experience coaching at the collegiate level.
Heyward has spent 17-of-his-18 seasons coaching on the West Coast, including at five Pac-12 schools, where he has been part of a staff that has won 10+ games twice and 9+ wins four times…He has coached several players who have been selected in the NFL Draft, including four first-rounders: Washington's Desmond Trufant (2013 – Atlanta) and Marcus Peters (2015 – Kansas City), USC's Adoree' Jackson (2017 – Tennessee) and Louisville's Jaire Alexander (2018 – Green Bay).
In 2022, Heyward served as the defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach for UNLV after one season as the outside linebackers coach at Cal.
Heyward held multiple positions at Oregon from 2017-20, serving as the safeties coach in 2017 before adding co-defensive coordinator duties in 2018 and the assistant head coach title from 2019-20…During his tenure, helped the Ducks compile a 32-15 (.681) record, win two Pac-12 titles (2019 and 2020) and appear in four bowl games, including a victory in the 2019 Rose Bowl.
Under Heyward's leadership, Oregon's defense picked off 59 passes during his four seasons and was the only team in the country with at least 15 interceptions for three straight campaigns from 2017-19.
Heyward coached at Louisville for one season in 2016, helping the defense rank 14th nationally in total defense (322.2 yards per game) and tied for 22nd in interceptions (15).
From 2014-15, he served as the passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach at USC, where his unit ranked tied for first in the Pac-12 with 14 interceptions in 2014 and finished third in the nation with five defensive touchdowns in 2015.
Prior to joining USC, Heyward spent two seasons at Washington (2012-13)…He began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Oregon State from 2005-06 and would return for a second stint with the Beavers from 2008-11, serving as the defensive backs coach…The Beavers finished with a 17-9 record over his two seasons and reached the Sun Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl…In 2007, he served as the linebackers coach for Cal Poly.
PERSONAL: A native of Woodland Hills, Calif., Heyward attended Taft High School…He played cornerback at Oregon State from 19997-2000, where he was named honorable mention as a senior in 2000 after recording four interceptions and helping the Beavers to a 11-1 record and No. 4 ranking in the AP Top 25… After earning his bachelor's degree in communications from Oregon State in 2000, Heyward played professionally with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (2001), the Scottish Claymores in NFL Europe (2002) and the Los Angeles Avengers in the Arena Football League (2004)….Heyward and his wife, Cameo, have two daughters, Kendyl and Kamryn.
