Tosh Lupoi Goes For Youth Again in Hiring Cal's Defensive Backs Coach

New Cal head football coach Tosh Lupoi continued his youth movement while assembling his coaching staff, as 28-year-old Western Kentucky defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator Da’Von Brown on Friday was named the Bears’ defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator.

Brown will join forces with Michael Hutchings, who was reportedly named the Bears’ defensive coordinator last week, and was officially announced as Cal defensive coordinator on Friday.

A number of the assistant coaches Lupoi has added to his staff are young.

Besides the 28-year-old Brown, Hutchings is just 30 years old, and new offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville is just 29, although he’ll turn 30 next month.

Brown and Hutchings will take over the roles performed by Vic So’oto and Terrence Brown, who served as Cal’s co-defensive coordinators this past season.

Lupoi is still serving as Oregon's defensive coach, and will turn his full attention on being Cal's head coach whenever Oregon is eliminated from College Football Playoff. The Ducks face Texas Tech in a quarterfinal game on January 1.

Hutchings and Brown will have the task of shoring up a Cal defense that ranks 11th in the ACC in scoring defense and ninth in total defense this season after being a dominant defense in recent years.

The Bears gave up more than 30 points in each of their final three games and in five of their last six games.

Brown, who is from Belle Glade, Florida, spent three seasons at Western Kentucky, where he was the Hilltoppers’ defensive backs coach all three seasons and was also co-defensive coordinator in 2025.

This season Western Kentucky finished with a 9-4 record, including a 27-16 victory over Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl.

The Hilltopper ranked second in Conference-USA in scoring defense, allowing 22.8 points per game.

In 2024, Brown helped the Hilltoppers rank second in the conference in pass defense, allowing just 176.1 passing yards per game.

Brown joined the Hilltoppers after being an assistant coach at Mississippi for two seasons.

Brown spent his playing days at Florida Atlantic, where he was a defensive back under head coach Lane Kiffin, who was Mississippi’s head coach when Brown was an assistant coach for the Rebels.

As a senior in 2019, Brown recorded 76 tackles on a Florida Atlantic team that finished with an 11-3 record. He owns a degree in public safety administration from Florida Atlantic.

Cal finished its season on Wednesday, when the Bears lost a 35-31 heartbreaker to Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. The Bears let an early 21-0 lead slip away, then regained the lead 31-28 with 1:57 to go, but allowed backup Hawaii quarterback Luke Weaver to throw a 22-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left for the winning score.

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