Former WVU Cornerback Brandon Napoleon Lands Power Four Coaching Job

Another former Mountaineer is on the rise in the coaching industry.

Over the weekend, former West Virginia cornerback Brandon Napoleon was officially hired by Syracuse as an assistant defensive backs coach, marking his first opportunity at the Power Four level.

Several options were on the table for Napoleon this offseason, including staying put at Wofford in an elevated role. Instead, he opted to take this opportunity with the Orange, where he will be able to work under head coach Fran Brown, someone he's known for quite some time, get valuable Power Four experience, be a few hours away from his family in New Jersey, and deepen his recruiting ties in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Napoleon has done a brilliant job of recruiting and developing talent throughout his coaching career, and now, with more resources to work with, he'll have an opportunity to shine even brighter.

Prior to landing this job at Syracuse, Napoleon spent time at Susquehanna, Kutztown University, Geneva College, Midwestern State, Buffalo, Sacred Heart, Rhode Island, Jacksonville State, and Wofford. At every stop, he's coached at least one player to an All-Conference or All-American selection. Miami's Zechariah Poyser and WVU's Fred Perry are two players you may have heard of.

A year ago, when Rich Rodriguez was forming his initial staff at WVU, Napoleon was considered as a defensive assistant, but after waiting things out, he took the opportunity at Wofford as the defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator.

Napoleon played for the Mountaineers in 2012 and 2013 before transferring to Northern Iowa. He is the son of former West Virginia running back Eugene Napoleon, who played for the 1988 team that finished the regular season with an unblemished mark and played Notre Dame in the national championship game.

Napoleon's success stories

Syeed Gibbs - Rhode Island freshman All-American (started at Georgia Tech in 2024, Kansas this year)

Shelton Gibson - Susquehanna Unanimous All-American

Jordan Colbert - Rhode Island safety who is now with the Miami Dolphins

Brent Jackson - Rhode Island safety All-Conference

James Clark - Geneva CB 1st team All-Conference

Zechariah Poyser - Jacksonville State DB Freshman All-American (started for Miami this year)

Fred Perry - Jacksonville State DB First Team All-Conference (started for West Virginia this year)

Darius Malcolm Jr. - Wofford DB Freshman All-American

Maximus Plley - Wofford DB Consensus All-American

Eli Campbell - Wofford DB 2nd Team All-Conference, 3rd Team All-American