Coaching Searches: Could Defensive Coordinator Don Brown Be A Target?

Over the past few weeks the news has been filled with stories of college football coaches either getting the axe or resigning. Randy Edsall in Maryland. Steve Spurrier in South Carolina. Al Golden in Miami. Steve Sarkisian in USC. That's just to name a few. Clearly with his team currently sputtering, Head Coach Steve Addazio's name isn't popping up in many candidate lists, but there is one coach on the staff that may garner some attention, that would be defensive coordinator Don Brown.

Brown has a head coach before, coaching the Northeastern Huskies in 2000 until 2003 before leaving to take over the head coaching role at UMass Amherst from 2004-2008, but he has never been the head coach at the FBS level. His name brings the possibility of getting offers because he is now on his third school where he has created a dynamic elite defense.

But there are many factors that would point to Brown not getting a full time head coaching gig. He is now 60 years old, which is certainly considered on the back nine in terms of coaching age. Also for the most part, schools stay away from defensive coordinators and tend to gravitate towards coaches who are experienced running an offense, like Chip Kelly, Jim McElwain and even Steve Addazio. Defensive coordinators who become successful head coaches are becoming fewer and far between (see Spaziani, Frank).  But you never know, maybe a school like UMass, where Brown was successful as a head coach, could fire Mark Whipple and add a defensive minded coach instead. Weirder things have happened.

The bigger concern about Don Brown is losing him to a bigger program with deep pockets that are willing to spend on a defensive coordinators. There are plenty of schools out there that need to fix the defensive side of the ball. Could a team like Maryland, who has money to spend, a previous relationship with Brown, and needs help on defense swoop in and pay him? That is certainly a possibility.

Will Don Brown be at Boston College in 2016? Given his age, and recent success I would probably bet on yes. But you never know, weirder things have happened. Cross your fingers, we need the Dude next year.