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First Impression of 49ers Defensive Coordinator Nick Sorensen

Sorensen is no DeMeco Ryans. At least not when it comes to presentation.

Grant Cohn

May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen holds a
May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen holds a / Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports
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Nick Sorensen might prove to be a great defensive coordinator for the 49ers, but he left an underwhelming first impression.

Before I explain why, you have to remember why he's the defensive coordinator. He replaced Steve Wilks, who was the defensive coordinator for just one season -- 2023. And in 2023, the 49ers defense gave up the third fewest points in the NFL. And that wasn't good enough for their standards. So they fired Wilks and promoted Sorensen to make the 49ers defense the best in the league as it was under DeMeco Ryans two years ago.

But Sorensen is no Ryans. At least not when it comes to presentation.

Ryans always carried himself like a head coach. So did his predecessor, Robert Saleh. And so did Wilks, because he had been a head coach. All three of those men have a presence when they step in a room. Ryans and Saleh in particular are extremely energetic and confident when they speak. That's a big reason they're both head coaches right now.

Sorensen doesn't carry himself like a head coach or someone who expects to be one. He carries himself like he's a bit surprised to be the defensive coordinator. At his introductory press conference, he wore a hat low over his eyes. He didn't shave. He needed a haircut. He spoke in a soft voice and he mostly avoided questions. He did not exude energy or project confidence. He seemed nervous and unsure of himself.

Again, maybe Sorensen will be a terrific defensive coordinator. Maybe he'll be a brilliant tactician and he'll find his voice and become an NFL head coach one day. Or maybe he'll get fired after one year like Wilks, who also exuded low energy.

We'll find out soon enough.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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