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Wayne State University Athletics

Rosco Byrd, Jr.

Rosco Byrd, Jr.

UPDATED August 2, 2025

Rosco Byrd, Jr. joined first-year head coach Tyrone Wheatley's staff as Offensive Line coach in March of 2023.  He added additional responsibilities as run-game coordinator in the spring of 2024.  Byrd enters his third year on coach Wheatley's staff in the fall of 2025.

In his first season with the Warriors, Byrd mentored two All-GLIAC performers in Second Team honoree Aidan Tweedy, and Honorable Mention selection Charles Wesley.  In addition, eight of his offensive linemen received Academic All-GLIAC recognition, including six on the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.

In his second season with the Green and Gold, Byrd guided Wesley to his second consecutive Honorable Mention All-GLIAC certificate.  Eight of his student-athletes garnered Academic All-GLIAC recognition, including five on the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.

Byrd came to Detroit after serving as Offensive Line Coach at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2022 helping the Tigers to an 11-0 regular season and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.  In the two seasons (2019 and 2021) prior to his arrival at BC, the Tigers were a combined 6-11.

BC rushed for 1,924 yards and 31 touchdowns in 12 games in 2022, and averaged nearly 390 yards of total offense after passing for over 2,700 yards and 21 scores in 2022.  Byrd's offensive line contingent only allowed 25 sacks, while the Tigers quarterbacks completed 218 passes in 351 attempts.  In addition, Benedict placed three offensive lineman on the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) First Team – Maurice Campbell, Henry Mitchell III and Tyler Pritchett.

A native of Albany, Ga., Byrd attended Albany High School where he was an All-Region 1-AA selection at defensive tackle as a senior.  He was named All-Area and All-Metro as an offensive lineman by the Albany Herald.  Byrd graded out at 95 percent as a blocker with 14 pancake blocks as a senior.  He was a 2010 All-Metro selection by the Albany Herald as a defensive lineman his junior year.  Byrd graded out at 90 percent as a blocker as a junior and added 60 tackles and five sacks on the defensive side of the ball.  He was named to the Albany Herald Dynamite Dozen in both 2010 and 2011.  Byrd served as a co-captain of his AHS team in both his junior and senior seasons, while also serving as a co-captain of Albany's basketball team.  He won the Class AA state championship in the shot put and finished fifth in the state in discus during his junior year as a member of Albany's track and field team.

Byrd accepted a scholarship from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and played in 10 games at defensive tackle as a true freshman in 2012.  He earned a spot on the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll.  The next two seasons (2013 and 2014), Byrd was the starting left guard for the Blazers.

After UAB ended its football program, Byrd transferred to Georgia Southern University in the spring of 2014. He was a starter and a member of the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl championship team, the first bowl win in school history.  He then transferred back to UAB and graduated in 2017 with a degree in history.

Including his senior year at Georgia Southern, Byrd started 29 games on the offensive line. 

He started his coaching career in 2017 Dougherty High School in Albany, Ga., while teaching middle school history at Robert A. Cross Middle School.  He spent the next three years (2018-19-20) coaching and teaching history at G.W. Carver High School in Columbus, Ga.

In 2021, he served as offensive line coach at Savannah State University, where he helped guide the Tigers to an 8-2 record as the squad rushed for over 2,100 yards.

Byrd has a daughter, Nala.