Report: University of Massachusetts has found new head coach

The University of Massachusetts has found their new head coach, according to a report shared by The Athletic’s Jeff Howe on Sunday. Howe detailed that sources inside the program shared that UMass will be conducting a team meeting Monday to announce Don Brown as their next football coach. Brown previously coached the UMass Minutemen from 2004-08, and was their defensive coordinator from 1998-99.

University of Massachusetts’ new head coach

“UMass will be hiring Don Brown as its next head football coach,” reported Howe. “UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford is expected to conduct a team meeting tomorrow to announce Brown as the next head coach, according to sources inside the program.

“Arizona pushed to keep Brown as its defensive coordinator, offering him a two-year contract that would have made him the highest-paid assistant coach in the Pac-12, according to a source. Brown opted to return to UMass, where he was the head coach from 2004-08.”

Brown, a Massachusetts native, worked this year as defensive coordinator under first-year Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch.

While terms of the new coaching contract have not been revealed as of yet, stepping away from Arizona’s generous offer is an interesting detail. Brown’s comfort level with UMass and desire to be a head coach again appears to have been high enough to convince him to leave.

According to the report, UMass interviewed about a dozen candidates in the college and NFL ranks, but Brown was the program’s top choice all along.

UMass tried before to hire Brown in 2019, while he was Michigan’s defensive coordinator. When he decided not to take the position, UMass hired former Florida State offensive coordinator Walt Bell, who was fired after a 2-23 record as their head coach.

Brown led the Minutemen to a Division I-AA national championship in 1998 as defensive coordinator. As a coach, he led UMass to a 43-19 record, including a trip to the national championship in 2006 where they would lose to Appalachian State. That same season saw Brown named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.

Since leaving UMass in 2009, Brown has worked as defensive coordinator for Maryland, UConn, Boston College, Michigan and Arizona.

UMass joined the FBS in 2012 and has struggled over the previous ten seasons. Under multiple coaches, the program has a 20-91 record and is looking to Brown as an opportunity to make a difference.