Brian Jean-Mary joins Notre Dame's revamped defense, bringing proven run-stopping expertise to fortify the Irish's linebacker corps and ground game.
Notre Dame has completed its defensive staff with the announcement that Brian Jean-Mary has officially been hired as the program's Linebacker Coach. Jean-Mary will also be the team's run game coordinator for the defense. Jean-Mary held the same position the last two seasons at Michigan, but he had taken a job at Georgia Tech before Notre Dame had a need at the position.
Jean-Mary replaces Max Bullough, who left this offseason to return to his alma mater - Michigan State - as their co-Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach. Bullough had held that position for three seasons. Although Bullough is the coach Jean-Mary replaces from last season, he technically replaces Al Washington, who had been moved to linebackers after Bullough departed. Washington recently took a position with the Miami Dolphins.
With Jean-Mary hired the Irish defensive staff has now been completely overhauled. Jean-Mary joins Charlie Partridge (defensive line) and Aaron Henry (secondary), who will now work under Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash, who is now the longest tenured coach on defense. Jean-Mary is the only new hire who has no working history with Ash.
Prior to joining Michigan, Jean-Mary served as the linebackers coach at Tennessee. He served as the linebackers at Michigan in 2020, and the three seasons prior to that he was the Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach at South Florida, where he served from 2017-19. He spent three seasons coaching linebackers at Texas (2014-16), where he also served as the Recruiting Coordinator. Jean-Mary spent the 2010-13 seasons at Louisville, where he was the Linebackers Coach and Assistant Head Coach. His first job as a Division I coach was at Georgia Tech, where he coached Linebackers from 2004-09.
Jean-Mary has some indirect ties to Notre Dame. He served as a graduate assistant coach at South Carolina from 2001-02, where he worked under former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz. Holtz, of course, is a legendary former Irish coach who led Notre Dame to its last national championship (1988). He also has a very long history with Charlie Strong, who Jean-Mary worked under at Louisville, Texas and South Florida. Strong, of course, worked at Notre Dame from 1995-98.
Michigan ranked 19th and 29th in scoring defense the last two seasons. The Wolverines also ranked 5th and 19th in rushing defense in the two seasons with Jean-Mary in charge of the run game. The 2023 Tennessee defense ranked 22nd in scoring defense and 21st in rushing defense. The Volunteers also ranked 12th in fewest yards allowed per rush. Tennessee ranked 21st in rush defense and 11th in yards allowed per rush in 2022.
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!