Written by: Scott Brown
Photography by: Baltimore Ravens
August 11, 2025

Zach Orr (’13) was having a breakout season in his third year with the Baltimore Ravens.

Then on Christmas Day 2016, Orr suffered a herniated disc in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The ensuing doctor appointment led to the discovery of a congenital spine condition — an underdeveloped C1 vertebra, which helps control the movements of the head and neck and plays a big role in breathing.

The doctor informed Orr that one wrong hit could shatter his C1 and kill him on the spot. Orr went on to write about an eerie vision of seeing himself die on the football field as he came to the realization that his playing career was over. It was the kind of life-altering news that would make most people bitter. Just as his dream career of playing in the NFL was taking off, it was taken away. But he came to recognize it as a blessing.

"When I first got the diagnosis, it definitely hurt initially," Orr says.

In 2017, shortly after announcing his retirement from his playing career, Orr received a call from Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti that put things into perspective. It was an opportunity to join Baltimore's coaching staff, where he now serves as one of the youngest defensive coordinators in the NFL.

"How many people would love to be in my shoes?" Orr asks. "I'm going to live a normal life. I'm going to be healthy. I'm going to be able to do everything I want to do. So I looked at it as a positive — I got to play at the highest level. Now I'm coaching at this level and that's something that not many people can do. I was blessed to get the opportunity to do both."

Orr’s path to the NFL began after a stellar college career that saw him tie for the third most tackles in school history (365) while helping the Mean Green qualify for and win its first bowl game in over a decade — Orr had nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl win over UNLV. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2014, played in 46 games for the Ravens and earned AP second-team All-Pro honors during that fateful third season.

Listen to Orr's story in his own words
on the Happy Friday, North Texas! podcast.

Orr always knew he wanted to coach after his playing days were over. He earned his degree in kinesiology at UNT, enrolling in 12 credit hours the summer before his freshman year. His mother even drove him to Denton from DeSoto the Sunday morning after his Saturday night high school graduation so he could start classes Monday morning.

Zach Orr speaks to players in a locker room
Photo Credit: Baltimore Ravens

"I can't lie, I never had dreams of coaching at this level," Orr says. "I knew I always wanted to stay around the game. I really do love sports in general, but I really love football and the coaches I know that had an impact on my life."

More than a decade later, Orr still keeps in touch with many of the coaches who were influential during his time in Denton.

Another core UNT memory for Orr is his exercise physiology class. He was an avid viewer of ESPN's Sports Science show growing up and says the class reminded him of the program and taught him some valuable lessons he still carries with him today.

I tell people all the time, "I wouldn't trade my college experience with anybody."

Zach Orr

For example, he says that increased understanding of how the human body works helped him process the discovery of his spine condition.

"That class really taught me how if you have a major problem or deficiency in one area of your body, it can affect other parts of your life," Orr says. "With me having that background, it helped me come to terms with the fact that I shouldn't try to blow it off and I should really consider my future life off the football field."

Orr's coaching career longevity has now eclipsed his playing career threefold. Since joining the Ravens as a defensive analyst in 2017, he went on to spend one season as the outside linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 before returning to Baltimore the following year as inside linebackers coach.

He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2024 and his defense finished the year ranked top five in several categories, including rush defense (80.1 yards per game, first), yards per rush (3.6, first), sacks (54, second) and QB hits (115, second). He also was named to The Athletic's "NFL 50 Under 40" list, recognizing the top young coaches and other rising stars around the NFL.

After nearly a decade on the sidelines, Orr says the thrill of coaching is starting to rival what he felt on the field.

"People think I'm crazy when I say this, but the more I'm getting into it, the more it's starting to catch up with feeling like playing. I always thought nothing could feel like playing, but coaching is getting close, man, so I'm enjoying it."

Online Exclusive Q&A with Zach Orr

What made you choose to play at UNT?

Zach Orr: I didn't really know much about North Texas until they offered me a scholarship. I took my official visit up there and I saw the potential, like they had actually broken ground on the new stadium and the coaching staff wanted me badly. Then it was far enough away from home — close enough that my people can come up and see me at any point in time and I could always go home, but I didn't feel like they can come up and spy on me.

Probably the most important thing was my visit with Brelan Chancellor (’13), Brandin Byrd (’13, ’16 M.S.), Mason Y'Barbo (’13), Will Wright (’14) and Anthony Johnson (’16). These are guys who I ended up signing with and we just built a chemistry. That weekend I felt like I knew those guys for four or five years. They ultimately made me decide this is where I want to be because I'm going to have a good time with them, they want to work hard and they want to turn the program around.

Best on-field memory at UNT?

Orr: It has to be my senior year when we beat Rice to become bowl-eligible. I can't remember the last time we had been to a bowl game before I got there, but it was some rough years my first three years and all we talked about in the summer was, "Let's get six wins. Hit six. Hit six.”

We played them at home, national television on Fox Sports. It was Halloween night. We were wearing all black uniforms. It was just great to do that, man. One of my best friends, Antoinne Jimmerson (’15), scored two touchdowns. I scored a touchdown. My other best friend, Brelan Chancellor, scored a punt return touchdown. And then we had a great eight-play goal line stand.

It was finally like, "We did it, we did it. We became bowl-eligible. We're going to a bowl game." All the hard work, and it was a lot of sweat shed, a lot of tears shed and a lot of blood shed throughout our first three years. But our guys, man, we stuck together and we got it done.

NTxn: So it was becoming bowl-eligible and not the actual bowl game itself?

Orr: That bowl game was great, too. But I'm not going to lie to you, once we got to the bowl game, we knew we were going to win that game. We played in Dallas, so it was like we're playing at home, playing in front of our fans. It's a home game at the Cotton Bowl, we just made a 20-minute drive and it just was like, "We're not losing to UNLV. They're not coming here to our beautiful state, you know, this is not going to happen." So yeah, the bowl game was fun as well, don’t get me wrong.

Best on-campus memory at UNT?

Orr: Probably my best memories were just what we used to do in the summertime. We were in summer school, and we'd get up at five in the morning and have summer workouts. Then we'd go to our eight o'clock class and then after that, everybody would just come to me and my roommate's apartment, or we'd go to somebody else's apartment. We'd just get on the grill and just hang out with each other, man.

I tell people all the time, “I wouldn't trade my college experience with anybody.”
Best Denton memory while at UNT?
Orr: We used to go to the mall a lot, Golden Triangle. I don't even know if it's still around. [Editor's note: It is.] We would go there, hanging out in the Denton area and then, see, this might sound crazy, but CiCi's Pizza. We probably kept CiCi's Pizza in business in Denton. It was easy for us because we were there all the time.
Why was it important to you to complete your degree before you left UNT?

Orr: It was important to me because I earned the opportunity to get my college paid for, which not a lot of people get that opportunity. It shows that you were able to start something and see it through.

When I told my mom and dad I was going to North Texas, the only thing she wanted to know was, "Can you start summer school and take 12 hours?" And they were like, "Mrs. Orr, you know, that's a lot." And she said, "He can do it.”
As you rise through the NFL coaching ranks, where do you get the confidence to take on the next challenge?

Orr: I think it's just a combination of work ethic, like we always talk about, and it's funny, we just talked about this today (at practice): How you do anything is how you do everything. My parents instilled that in me since I was younger. If you're going to do something, make sure you put your all into it and work at it. And if you're going to do something, especially as I'm getting older, make sure that you love it — and, obviously, I love football.

So that gives me the confidence and then, you know, I wouldn't be put in a position if I wasn't ready for it. Is it challenging? Is it tough? Is it demanding? Does it have its downs? Of course, but I'm a competitor. I love to compete, and this is at the highest level. So, if you're asked to be in a position, you have to take everything that comes with it. It comes down to work ethic and then just the support system here in Baltimore, the coaching staff that I have around me, the players and my family and friends away from here as well. That's what really gives me the confidence.