Football
- Title:
- Defensive Backs Coach
Fran Brown, secondary coach at Rutgers in 2020-21, was named Defensive Backs
Coach at the University of Georgia on February 22, 2022.
He is part of a coaching staff that led the 15-0 Bulldogs to the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship with a 65-7 victory over TCU in the title game following a semi-final win over Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl semi-final, 42-41. The Georgia defense finished the season ranked among the nation’s leaders in rushing defense (1st, 77.1), scoring defense (5th, 14.3 ppg), red zone defense (2nd, 0.676), and total defense (9th, 296.8 ypg). The ‘Dogs defense also boasted two first team All-Americans in DL Jalen Carter and DB Chris Smith, Butkus finalist (Jamon Dumas-Johnson), Lombardi finalist (Carter), Nagurski finalist (Smith), and Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award finalist (Malaki Starks).
A native of Camden, N.J., and graduate of Western Carolina University, he has also held coaching positions at Temple and Baylor.
At the time he joined the Bulldogs, Brown had just completed his second season with Rutgers after being the first defensive assistant to join head coach Greg Schiano’s new staff in 2020.
Prior to joining the Rutgers staff, Brown served as Co-Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks at Temple during the 2019 season. Brown guided a defensive unit that ranked nationally in red zone defense, sacks, defensive touchdowns, tackles-for-loss and fumbles recovered.
Brown recruited or coached five players from the 2019 Owls’ defense that advanced to the NFL, including three draft picks: Harrison Hand, Shaun Bradley, Chapelle Russell, Sam Franklin and Isaiah Wright.
Prior to his time at Temple, Brown coached at Baylor during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, serving as Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs.
Brown originally joined the Temple staff as Director of Internal Operations in 2011. He served as a graduate assistant in 2012 before being named Defensive Backs Coach in 2013. In 2016 he was promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs.
Brown received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western Carolina University in 2006. He was named a team captain and earned First Team All-SoCon selection at cornerback for the Catamounts. Brown and his wife, Teara, have two sons, Fran, Jr., and Brayden, and a daughter, Ivy Ann.
