Cincinnati DC Bryan Brown Leaving Program for Ole Miss
While Cincinnati’s defense struggled in 2023 during their first season as members of the Big 12 Conference, the Bearcats will be entering 2024 with a new name at DC following Friday’s news report.
According to Bearcat Journal’s Keegan Knickoson, Cincinnati defensive coordinator Bryan Brown is leaving the program to accept the co-defensive coordinator job at Ole Miss.
Brown will now return to his alma mater as a coach for the first time since the 2011 season. Bryan Brown spent four years as a defensive back for the Rebels from 2003-2006 and then spent time as a member of Ole Miss’ coaching staff from 2010-2011.
Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin spoke on the addition in a recent release from the University saying, “We are excited to add a high-quality coach like Bryan Brown to our staff. 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.”
In 2023, Brown’s defense finished relatively in the middle of the Big 12 Conference but was most effective when defending the pass. The Bearcats finished fourth in the league surrendering just 225.8 yards through the air per game, but did struggle to stop the run and keep teams out of the end zone. UC gave up the seventh-most total yards per game (402.8), ninth-most rushing yards per game (176.9), and the 10th-most points per game (30.0).
While the loss for UC is a big one, Cincinnati will have an opportunity to overhaul the Bearcats defense after bringing in key players through the transfer portal like Ohio State’s Kye Stokes, New Mexico State’s Mehki Miller, West Virginia’s Jared Bartlett, and more.
Cincinnati kicks off the 2024 season on Saturday, August 31st against the Towson Tigers.
