The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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and Brown was just getting started, coordinating BC to No. 1 in total de- fense (254.3 yards allowed per game) and fourth in scoring defense (15.3 points allowed per game) during the 2015 season. "Having been around the Boston College program for 28 years, this is my seventh coaching staff, so I've been exposed to a lot of different schemes, concepts, coaching styles, and this was as good of a defensive philosophy that I have ever seen," BC radio analyst Pete Cronan said. "Don Brown is the mad scientist that designed it all and got the players to execute." When D.J. Durkin stepped down as Michigan's defensive coordinator to become Maryland's head coach Dec. 2, Jim Harbaugh took his time vetting replacement candidates. He was rumored to be looking hard at current Stanford defensive coordinator Lance Anderson, current Baltimore Ravens coordinator Dean Pees, and former Georgia and now Alabama coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, among others. Harbaugh was tipped off to look at Brown, and he was quickly impressed. "We are very pleased and happy to announce that our top candidate and No. 1 choice, Don Brown, has accepted our offer to become defen- sive coordinator," Harbaugh said in a released statement Dec. 21. "Af- ter a very thorough search and talk- ing with those I respect the most in this game, including [father] Jack Harbaugh, [Baltimore Ravens head coach and brother] John Harbaugh, [New England Patriots head coach] Bill Belichick, [Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator] Bob Sutton, [Chicago Bears defensive coordina- tor] Vic Fangio and others, it led me to Don Brown. Brown guided a Boston College defense that ranked No. 1 in total yards allowed per game (254.3) and fourth in points allowed per game (15.3) during the 2015 season. PHOTO COURTESY BOSTON COLLEGE