MOBILE, Ala. – With experience playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference and as a coordinator at a pair of NCAA levels, Robby Brown is the newest member of the University of South Alabama football staff. Jaguar head coach Joey Jones made the announcement Thursday.
"Robby has coached a lot of different positions and been a coordinator the last several years," Jones observed. "When he came for his interview, he did a tremendous job — I felt that he has knowledge of the game from A to Z. When you are a coordinator, a lot of times you have to learn it all, so I think he is going to bring a wealth of experience from a big-picture standpoint rather than just coming in and coaching one position. He can bring ideas into a staff meeting whether they are about the game plan or practice schedule.
"Being able to offer ideas, and having that knowledge and experience, is really going to help us."
Last fall Brown was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Northwestern (La.) State, where he guided a Demon offense that averaged nearly 400 total yards per contest including over 230 per outing through the air. NSU led the Southland Conference and ranked among the top 10 at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in both fumbles and turnovers lost, while his efforts helped quarterback Zach Adkins rank in the top 30 in the country in passing yards per game, passing touchdowns and completion percentage en route to being named the league's Newcomer of the Year.
The Demons recorded 226 yards and three scores passing in a victory over nationally-ranked Central Arkansas, while also posting 490 yards of total offense against eventual conference champion and No. 4 seed in the FCS playoff bracket, Southeastern Louisiana.
The previous fall, Brown was offensive coordinator at Valdosta (Ga.) State, where his unit averaged 469 yards and 40 points per game on the way to claiming the NCAA Division II national championship. In addition to ranking ninth in the country in scoring and 13th in total offense, his efforts helped the Blazers pace the Gulf South Conference in every major statistical category; VSU had both the league's Offensive Player and Freshman of the Year, with nine individuals earning all-conference honors and five named to the all-region team.
He joined the Blazer staff in 2009, helping Cedric Jones set the GSC all-time receptions record, and just one year later the team was among the top 25 nationally in both passing and total offense. Three individuals would earn All-America recognition on five occasions his last two years guiding the VSU offense.
Brown has also been the offensive coordinator at Southwest Baptist and Henderson (Ark.) State. At the former, his players set 29 school and six Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association records while Nick Smart broke the all-divisions standard with 143 catches in a season. At the latter, Brown helped the Reddies rank third in the country in passing and 18th in total offense while setting 12 school records; he had an All-American and two all-Gulf South selections in his unit.
He began his coaching career at Troy in 2005, and in his second year on the staff the Trojans won the Sun Belt Conference title before capping the season with a 41-17 win over Rice in the New Orleans Bowl.
"I was a graduate assistant in the Sun Belt around the time that South Alabama started football. I had heard a lot about Coach Jones and knew a couple of guys on the staff, and have followed them and the success they have had; I wanted to be a part of that," commented Brown. "I want to come in and learn the system and see where I can help. It's different when you're in that [coordinator] seat, but I think what might help as much as anything is having a different set of eyes looking at everything.
"It also gives me the chance to see things from a different perspective; it will be interesting to learn a new system."
Brown played quarterback for two years at Georgia Tech, helping the Yellow Jackets to a pair of winning seasons and postseason bowl victories, earning his degree from the school in history, technology and society in 2004. He received his master's degree in sports and fitness management from Troy in 2007 as well.
Brown and his wife Rachel have one daughter, Parks.
He will work with Jag running backs, with Jones making other adjustments on that side of the ball as well. Offensive coordinator Robert Matthews will also serve as quarterbacks coach beginning with spring practice — slated to start on Monday, March 10 — while Chase Smith takes over sole responsibility of the offensive line. Current assistant John Turner will continue to oversee tight ends, and Tim Bowens was hired to coach wide receivers on Monday.
"Number one, even though it was the right move to put Robert with the offensive line when he got here, normally your coordinator is your quarterback coach. I felt it was critical for him to be able to work with our quarterbacks at this point," Jones said of the changes in staff responsibilities. "The second part of that is we felt Chase is completely ready to go with the offensive line. He spent last year with Robert transitioning, and I have 100 percent faith that he will do a heck of a job.
"Now we've got a coach at each position, which is what you want to happen."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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