Rocky Seto Haruki Rocky Seto , often referred to as Rocky Seto , ( born March 12 , 1976 ) is an American football coach ; he currently serves as the Defensive Passing Game Coordinator for the NFL ' s Seattle Seahawks . Early years . Seto was born in Los Angeles , California ; he is Japanese - American Nisei , son of Issei parents . His father runs a gardening business and grew up going to USC football games ; both father and son were fans of the Trojans . Seto attended Arcadia High School , where he played numerous positions ; he described himself as an " average player " . College career . Seto began his college playing career at Mount San Antonio College , a junior college in the Los Angeles area . He chose the college so he could play for head coach Bill Fisk , who was an All - American at USC . Seto was a fullback and defensive end during the 1995 and 1996 seasons , but mostly played on special teams . In 1997 , he transferred to the University of Southern California , hoping to walk - on to the football team . Although he was initially told he would be able to walk - on , he stopped getting mail from the program . Concerned , Seto staged an " accidental " meeting with head coach John Robinson who sorted out his situation , allowing him to walk - on . Seto was a reserve linebacker for the Trojans in 1997 , seeing action on the scout team . In 1998 , new head coach Paul Hackett awarded him an athletic scholarship , and he was later awarded USC ' s Black Shirt ( scout team ) Defensive Player of the Year Award for that season . Seto received an Associate ' s degree in general studies from Mt . San Antonio Junior College in 1997 , a Bachelor ' s degree in exercise science from USC in 1999 , and a Master ' s degree in public administration from USC in 2001 . Once he had gained his Bachelor ' s degree , Seto initially planned to attend graduate school at USC to become a physical therapist . Although he had already placed his deposit , he found out about the possibility of a volunteer assistant position with the football program and opted to enter coaching . Coaching career . After playing for the Trojans , Seto joined the coaching staff in 1999 as a volunteer assistant under then - head coach Paul Hackett , working with the defense and special teams . In 2000 he served as an administrative graduate assistant , and with the arrival of head coach Pete Carroll in 2001 , he became a graduate assistant involved in the defense , working with the general defense in 2001 and safeties in 2002 . In 2003 he became a full coach , in charge of safeties , and from 2004 - 2005 he coached linebackers . From 2006 , he has coached the USC secondary . In 2008 , former college teammate Kris Richard joined the staff as a graduate assistant . Seto has previously turned down a job to coach the secondary of the NFL ' s Buffalo Bills . When USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian departed to take the head coaching position at Washington in late 2008 , he offered Seto the position of defensive coordinator . He opted to stay at USC and continue coaching the secondary , along with a raise and the additional title of assistant head coach for defense . On January 7 , 2009 , Carroll promoted Seto to USC Defensive Coordinator . Seto was not retained when Lane Kiffin became the Head Football Coach at Southern Cal . He was replaced by Kiffin ' s father , Monte . Seto has participated in an exchange program with Waseda University in Tokyo , Japan to help teach American football coaching and playing strategy . In 2010 , Seto joined Pete Carroll ' s coaching staff for the NFL ' s Seattle Seahawks . Personal . Seto is named after boxer Rocky Marciano , his brothers are named after Sonny Jurgensen and Johnny Bench . His nickname is " Rock " . Seto married Sharla ( née Chiang ) , who played soccer for USC and was on the Women of Troy ' s 1998 Pac - 10 championship squad ; she was originally from Seattle . They have two daughters ( Kaylani & Mia ) and a son ( Troy ) . Seto is a devout Christian and considers his church community an important aspect of his life . He was featured in an episode of Trinity Broadcasting Network ' s " More Than Conquerors " magazine show , which profiles Christian sports figures and shares their testimony .