Getting to Know Brian Jean-Mary: Potentially Notre Dame's Biggest Offseason Addition
- Noah Wehby
- 42 minutes ago
- 3 min read
After it was announced that Notre Dame linebackers coach Al Washington would be leaving to take a job with the Miami Dolphins, it appears that Marcus Freeman is narrowing in on his replacement, Brian Jean Mary, per multiple sources.
Photo by Maysum Hassanali
If Notre Dame is able to get a deal done, Jean-Mary would be the perfect replacement. With well over 20 years of coaching experience, Jean-Mary has become known for not only being able to recruit high-level talent but also developing that talent into units that rank among the best in the country and eventually become NFL draft picks.
Jean-Mary landed his first coaching job as a graduate assistant on the Louisville strength and conditioning staff. After just one year there, he would get his first job on the defensive side of the ball as a part of Lou Holtz's staff at South Carolina.
It would not be for a few years that Jean-Mary would land his first big gig as a linebackers coach at Georgia Tech. From 2004-09, he helped build the Yellow Jackets' defense into one of the best units in the country. In 2007, Georgia Tech finished top-25 nationally in both scoring defense and total defense, and second in tackles for loss. Although that was his best year there, the Jackets were consistently a top-30 defense in the country during his tenure, laying the foundation for Jean-Mary's future success.
After Georgia Tech, Jean-Mary returned to Louisville, this time as an assistant head coach/linebackers coach. In four seasons, Louisville went on to win two Big East titles (2011, 2012). In two of those seasons, Jean-Mary helped in transcending the Cardinal's defense. In 2010 and 2011, the Louisville defense ranked in the top-20 in five different defensive categories.
Jean-Mary would then find himself in Austin, Texas, as the linebackers coach and a recruiting coordinator for the Texas Longhorns. In those three seasons, the Longhorns became known for their ability to get to the quarterback, ranking inside the top-15 for sacks in each of his three seasons as a part of their staff.
With that success, Jean Mary would take on more responsibilities as the defensive coordinator for the USF Bulls. At USF, he built a defense that became elite at causing turnovers. In his three seasons as the DC, the USF defense was responsible for 69 turnovers, causing more than 20 in each season.
Since 2020, Jean-Mary has been the linebackers coach for both Michigan and Tennessee. At both programs, he has continued to build great defenses that excel at stopping the run and wreaking havoc in the backfield. He has a long track record of doing just that, finding success at every stop throughout his storied career as a defensive coach.
At Notre Dame, it will be just as important to recruit at a high level as well. Marcus Freeman has brought Notre Dame to the forefront of both high school and portal recruiting. With the losses of Mike Mickens and Al Washington, Notre Dame is in need of effective recruiters on the defensive staff. Jean-Mary has shown the ability to be exactly what Notre Dame needs. During his time at Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech, Jean-Mary helped recruit at least one top-15 recruiting class at each stop. With the ability to bring in talent, he has also helped develop 10 of those players into NFL draft picks.
All in all, if finalized, Jean-Mary appears to be a home-run hire for Freeman and the Irish. He checks all the boxes as an experienced and successful position coach at the highest level of college football, and he also strengthens the staff's recruiting prowess, which has been at an all-time high in recent years.
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