LOS ANGELES-Greg Brown, an accomplished defensive mind who has coached in the NFL, Pac-12, SEC and Big Ten, has been named a senior defensive analyst, head coach Lincoln Riley announced today (March 22).
"We're thrilled to bring Coach Brown onto our staff," said Riley. "With a coaching career that has spanned five decades and experience in both college football and the NFL, he will bring a wealth of knowledge to our program."
Throughout his collegiate coaching career, he has been a part of 12 bowl teams and 3 conference championship teams. As a defensive backs coach, Brown has developed 3 Jim Thorpe Award recipients. Deon Figures (Colorado, 1992), Chris Hudson (Colorado, 1994) and Gerod Holliman (Louisville, 2014) each won the award, which is presented to the nation's top defensive back. All three players were First Team All-Americans. In 1992, Colorado led the nation in pass completion defense and the Big Eight in pass defense, while Louisville's Holliman led the NCAA with 14 interceptions in 2014 as the Cardinals put together an impressive string of 17 straight games with at least one INT.
Brown spent the 2022 season at North Carolina Charlotte as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
Prior to that, he was a defensive assistant at Colorado in the 2021 season after spending two years (2019-20) as the cornerback coach with Purdue.
Brown was the secondary coach at Auburn during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In his two years, the Tigers went a combined 18-9 overall, won the SEC Western Division in 2017 and played in the Peach Bowl (2017) and Music City Bowl (2018). In 2017, the Tigers ranked 12th in the country in scoring defense and 14th in the nation in total defense, while allowing just 4.67 yards per play, eighth-best nationally.
Brown's other stops at the collegiate level include Missouri (2016), Louisville (2014-15), Alabama (2013), Colorado (1991-93, 2006-09 and 2011-12), Arizona (2010), Purdue (1989-90), Wyoming (1987-88) and UTEP (1981).
A 15-year NFL coaching veteran, developing high-performing defensive backs became Brown's specialty as he was often sought after for new coaching staffs around the league, working with 6 different teams in his professional career.
He spent time in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints (2002-05), Atlanta Falcons (2000-01 and 1994), San Francisco 49ers (1999), Tennessee Oilers (1997-98), San Diego Chargers (1995-96) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984-86). He also served two seasons on the Denver Gold's staff in the USFL (1983-84).
Brown's NFL highlights include coaching some of the league's top secondary talent and helping develop stout defenses. While serving as the secondary coach for San Diego, the Chargers finished in the top five both years (1995-96) in fewest yards allowed per completion. There, he also coached Rodney Harrison, who eventually would become one of the league's top safeties. While with the Tennessee Oilers, he again coached three of the top defensive backs in the game, cornerback Samari Rolle and safeties Blaine Bishop and All-Pro Marcus Robertson.
Lettering two seasons as a cornerback at UTEP, Brown graduated in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in education (history/physical education) and held his first coaching position as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 1981. He earned an associate's degree from Glendale (Ariz.) Junior College in 1978.
USC also hired Trey Tinsley as an offensive graduate assistant and Brendan "Bookie" Radley-Hiles as a defensive analyst. Tinsley spent the previous 3 seasons at Mississippi State working with the late coach Mike Leach. He was a quality control analyst in 2022, and a graduate assistant from 2020-21, working with the quarterbacks and receivers. He played quarterback at Fullerton Junior College and then transferred to Washington State where he played for 4 seasons (2016-19). His father, Scott Tinsley, played quarterback at USC from 1980-82 and later played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987. Radley-Hiles played at Washington for the 2021 season, and spent the 2018-2020 seasons at Oklahoma, where he played for current USC head coach Lincoln Riley and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. The Cincinnati Bengals signed him to an undrafted free-agent contract at the conclusion of the 2022 Draft, and he was placed on waivers in August of 2022.
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