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Report: Former Michigan coach Don Brown lands another DC job at Power 5 program
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Former Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown will be moving on to Arizona, according to a report.
That’s per college football insider Bruce Feldman.
SOURCES: Don Brown has agreed to become #Arizona’s new defensive coordinator. He and Jedd Fisch coached together at Michigan. In five of the past six years, Brown’s defenses ranked in the nation’s top 10 in fewest yards per play allowed. Twice, they were in the top two.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 7, 2021
As Feldman notes, Brown worked with new Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch at Michigan in 2016. The Wolverines went 10-3 that year, losing those three games by a combined five points. That’s also the closest Jim Harbaugh has been to upsetting Ohio State – the Buckeyes prevailed in double over time that season.
Brown was mostly excellent throughout his Michigan tenure, but results fell off sharply in 2020. The Wolverines went 2-4 this season and ranked No. 12 in scoring defense in the Big Ten. Those struggles included giving up 38 points to Indiana, 49 points to Wisconsin and 42 points to Rutgers.
Brown has east coast roots, so this is a bit of a curious hire from a recruiting perspective. Fisch has mostly coached in the NFL, but his brief stint at UCLA should help with recruiting the west coast.
Michigan has not yet hired Brown’s replacement, but that decision should be announced soon.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.