Sherrone Moore inked his offensive coordinator earlier today. Now he has the special teams guy.
J.B. Brown, an analyst on staff since 2021, has been elevated to special teams coordinator to replace the outgoing Jay Harbaugh, Michigan announced Friday. It was the third on-field hire made official today.
“Brown has an outstanding mind for special teams and knows how we want to attack that phase of the game,” Moore said in the announcement. “He has been a key factor in our special teams success and he will help us continue to be a leader in this important aspect of the game.”
Brown served as Harbaugh’s right-hand man over the past three seasons, advising a special-teams unit that ranked top 10 in the country and coordinating the kicking and kick-coverage phases. Michigan’s kickoff defense ranked first, 26th and 18th nationally over the last three seasons, respectively, and top 25 in net-punting twice.
More: Michigan names new OC, promotes Kirk Campbell, Grant Newsome
Prior to arriving in Ann Arbor, Brown served as special-teams coordinator at Texas Southern for two years and spent four years as a graduate assistant, two at Kansas (2015-16) and two at Houston (2017-18).
“Having been in meetings and at practice the last three seasons, I know how we want to run our special teams units and I will ensure we are an aggressive group capable of making plays that set up our offense and defense for success,” Brown said in a statement. “I cannot wait to get working more actively with our players and to get to work for an outstanding set of spring practices.”
An Alvin, Texas, native, Brown was a standout baseball player at the University of Pacific and drafted in the 14th round of the 2010 MLB Draft, by the New York Mets. He played four seasons in the minor leagues.
The hire follows an earlier announcement from Michigan naming quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell its offensive coordinator and promoting Grant Newsome to offensive line coach.
Moore, named the replacement for Jim Harbaugh on Jan. 26, has also elevated Justin Tress to lead the program’s strength and conditioning department.
