Ole Miss Football Adds Bryan Brown to Defensive Staff
OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin added a familiar name to his staff Friday with the addition of Bryan Brown as co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
Brown, a Mississippi native and four-year letterwinner for the Rebels from 2003 to 2006, returns to Oxford after spending the 2023 season at Cincinnati as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Bearcats.
“We are excited to add a high-quality coach like Bryan Brown to our staff,” Kiffin said.
“He has deep Ole Miss roots as a player, and as a coach, he has proven himself multiple times to be one of the top defensive coaches and recruiters in the nation. He has a proven pedigree, and I think it continues to show our commitment to making Ole Miss Football a national program that competes at the highest level on both sides of the ball.”
Lane Kiffin on Bryan Brown
A multiple-time Broyles Award nominee, Brown led the Bearcats defense to rank inside the top five in the Big 12 in passing defense (225.8) and first downs defense (238) during the 2023 season. Brown coached sophomore defensive tackle Dontay Corleone who was named to the All-Big 12 second team, finishing with 39 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks as a team captain in 2023.
Prior to arriving at Cincinnati, Brown spent four seasons as the defensive coordinator at Louisville. He was elevated to associate head coach in 2020. Taking over a defense that was ranked near the bottom of college football at UofL in 2018, Brown saw his troops improve dramatically during his tenure – culminating in one of the most prolific seasons in Louisville history in 2022.
Under Brown’s tutelage, the Cardinals had undoubtedly one of the nation’s best defenses in 2022, leading the nation in sacks (50) and fourth down defense (.190) and ranking third in takeaways (30), eighth in tackles for loss (97), No. 11 in scoring defense (19.2), No. 14 interceptions (15) and No. 24 in total defense (330.2). Five Cardinals’ defenders earned all-conference accolades in 2022 and Louisville finished 8-5, earning a bid to its third bowl game in four years.
In 2021, the Cardinals doubled their interception total to 10, and cornerback Kei’Trel Clark earned All-ACC honors for the second-straight season.
Leading the Cards to a bowl appearance in 2019, Brown’s impact was felt immediately as the defense improved by more than 10 points per game and helped the team win the Music City Bowl over Mississippi State. UofL went from two wins to eight wins in his first season with the Cardinals.
Brown came to Louisville after six seasons at Appalachian State where he coached cornerbacks from 2012 to 2018 and added defensive coordinator responsibilities his last year. The Mountaineers led the Sun Belt Conference in passing defense in 2018, 2017 and 2015.
In Brown’s first year as the Mountaineers’ defense coordinator, he helped lead the program to its third-straight Sun Belt title, a 10-2 record and a fourth consecutive bowl appearance in 2018.
Brown’s 2018 defense ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense at 15.5 points per game, holding the opposition to 10 or fewer points in seven contests. Brown’s unit also ranked fifth in the country in passing defense (162.1), No. 1 in big plays allowed and sixth in total defense (288.0).
From 2015 to 2018, the Mountaineers ranked second nationally in interceptions, picking off 70 passes over that span, and ranking in the Top 15 nationally each season.
Brown trained Clifton Duck, one of the top cornerbacks in App State history. Duck led the Sun Belt Conference in interceptions with six in 2017, which was tied for fourth most in the nation. He was a two-time All-Sun Belt first team performer, a freshman All-American and the league’s 2016 Freshman of the Year.
Brown served as both a graduate assistant and defensive administrative assistant at his alma mater in Oxford during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. In those roles, he was responsible for all practice planning and game planning for the nickels and corners.
The Corinth, Mississippi, native spent time at Delta State in 2009 as a graduate assistant helping with cornerbacks.
Brown started his coaching career in 2008 at Rutgers serving in a professional development role. He assisted the Scarlet Knights’ special teams units while also supporting in academic support services for the program.
During his four-year career at Ole Miss (2003-06), Brown totaled 70 career tackles with an interception return for a touchdown. He also played point guard on the Ole Miss basketball team in 2002.
Brown and his wife, Courtney, have a son, Bryson, and a daughter, Elle.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at OleMissSports on Twitter and Facebook and OleMissAthletics on Instagram.
BROWN COACHING CAREER
2008: Rutgers (PD)
2009: Delta State (GA)
2010: Ole Miss (DAA)2011: Ole Miss (GA)2012-17: App State (CBs)2018: App State (DC/CBs)2019-20: Louisville (DC/CBs)2021-22: Louisville (AHC/DC/CBs)
2023: Cincinnati (AHC/DC)
2024-present: Ole Miss (Co-DC/Secondary)
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
