TicketsCINCINNATI – Cincinnati football associate head coach and defensive coordinator Bryan Brown was selected as a nominee for the 2023 Broyles Award on Tuesday.
The Broyles Award annually honors college football's top assistant coach.
Brown is in his first season with the Bearcats. His defense ranks in the top five in the Big 12 in rushing defense (138.7), passing defense (225.0) and first downs defense (184). Cincinnati has come on particularly strong against the pass the last two weeks, allowing just 133.5 yards through the air to UCF and Houston, including only 102 passing yards against the Cougars despite starting a pair of freshmen cornerbacks.
He has coached senior Deshawn Pace, who ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 8.5 TFLs in conference-only games, moving the versatile player from linebacker to defensive back to utilize his playmaking skills.
Brown came to Cincinnati after leading Louisville's defense from 2019 to 2022. His Cardinals led the nation with 50 sacks and ranked third in takeaways (30) in 2022.
He also spent six seasons coaching cornerbacks at Appalachian State, adding defensive coordinator responsibilities in 2018.
The 57 nominees in this year's class were selected from approximately 1,500 assistant coaches representing 131 FBS programs across the country. The Broyles Award selection process includes the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), broadcasters, a college football hall-of-fame selection committee, and current college head coaches.
The selection committee will select 15 semi-finalists, five finalists from the list of nominees, and an overall winner.