Sherrone Moore Replaces Jay Harbaugh, Reportedly Close To Filling TE Coaching Vacancy
One move is official per the University of Michigan, while another is reportedly happening very soon.
Head coach Sherrone Moore has promoted JB Brown to special teams coordinator in order to replace Jay Harbaugh. Brown was previously a graduate assistant under Harbaugh and should provide some continuity to a unit that has been very, very good for the Wolverines in recent years. The entire, official release can be read below.
J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach Sherrone Moore named J.B. Brown as special teams coordinator for the Michigan Football program. Brown has been with U-M since 2021 in the role of special teams analyst.
"Coach Brown has an outstanding mind for special teams and knows how we want to attack that phase of the game," said Moore. "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. I am glad to keep J.B. his wife Jessica, and their family here in Ann Arbor and part of the Michigan Football program."
"I am excited for this opportunity and grateful to Coach Moore," said Brown. "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. I cannot wait to get working more actively with our players and to get to work for an outstanding set of spring practices.
Brown has helped advise Michigan's special teams units for the past three seasons (2021-23). In that time, the group has ranked third, second, and 27th in special teams FEI, an opponent-adjusted efficiency rating system. U-M has ranked second, third, and seventh in special teams SP+ in that same stretch.
Brown has helped develop the plan of attack in the kicking and kick coverage phases. The kickoff defense unit ranked first nationally in 2021 (12.4 yards per return attempt), 26th in 2022 (17.6), and 18th in 2023 (16.53), and U-M has also been top-25 in net punting twice (fifth, 2021; 22nd, 2023). Opponents have returned just 20 percent of all punt attempts against U-M since 2021 (28 returns on 140 punts). The Wolverines have also blocked four punts and two field goals in the last three seasons.
In 2023, punter Tommy Doman delivered 18 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line including at least one at the 12-yard line or deeper in six of Michigan's final seven games. Kicker James Turner set a single-season record with 65 PATs and scored 119 points, the second-highest single-season total all-time among kickers. Brown also worked with the group while Jake Moody was a two-time Lou Groza Award finalist (2021-22), becoming the program's first-ever winner while rewriting the U-M kicking record book.
Brown began his career in college football as a graduate assistant, spending two seasons at the University of Kansas (2015-16) and two at the University of Houston (2017-18).
Brown attended Alvin High School in Alvin, Texas, and went on to be a standout baseball player at the University of Pacific. He was drafted in the 14th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the New York Mets and played four years in the minor leagues. He spent the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons as a graduate assistant at Pacific, completing his communications degree along the way.
He and his wife, Jessica, have two sons, James Thomas Brown III, and Jaxson.
As for the unofficial reports surrounding Moore's staff, TheWolverine.com is saying that Steve Casula, who previously worked at Michigan as an analyst, will be named tight ends coach to fill the vacancy left by Grant Newsome after he took the offensive line coaching job.
While at Michigan from 2019-2021, Casula worked directly for then-offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and the Wolverines’ offense. He did many things while at U-M and was ultimately promoted to a senior analyst position after the lackluster 2020 season. Still, Casula is widely regarded as an extremely bright and sharp football teacher. He has a lot of experience in many areas, including as a tight ends coach during his days at Ferris State, which should make him a valuable member of Moore's new staff.
