Brian Jean-Mary to return to Michigan as linebackers coach
Michigan Wolverines football is filling out its defensive coaching staff under new head coach Sherrone Moore and coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, with linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary as the latest addition. According to Volquest, Jean-Mary has inked a three-year deal with Michigan, informing Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel of his decision Thursday morning.
Jean-Mary is slated to re-join the staff, after coaching linebackers at Michigan for one season in 2020, working under then-defensive coordinator Don Brown and head coach Jim Harbaugh. He departed for the same job with the Tennessee Volunteers, where he spent the last three seasons (2021-23).
Jean-Mary replaces Chris Partridge, who was let go Nov. 17, 2023, for apparent failure to follow university guidelines amid an NCAA investigation into the program for alleged illegal off-campus scouting. Rick Minter, now an analyst for the Los Angeles Chargers, took over linebacker coach duties on an interim basis for the final five games of Michigan’s 15-0 national championship-winning season.
Moore, who was Michigan’s tight ends coach in 2020, and Jean-Mary didn’t just coach together in Ann Arbor. The two spent time together in Louisville from 2010-13, when Jean-Mary was the assistant head coach and linebackers coach and Moore was a graduate assistant (2010-11) and tight ends mentor (2012-13).
Jean-Mary has made numerous other stops, including as the assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at South Florida (2017-19), linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas (2014-16), linebackers coach at Georgia Tech (2004-09) and secondary coach at North Alabama (2003). He began his career as a graduate assistant at Louisville (2000) and South Carolina (2001-02).
While Jean-Mary departed Michigan in early 2021, prompting the Wolverines to move George Helow from safeties coach to linebackers, he said while he was in Ann Arbor that he was enjoying his time with the Wolverines.
“It’s been great,” Jean-Mary said on the ‘Inside Michigan Football’ radio show in 2020. “Just through the profession, I’ve known a couple of coaches that have worked here, know their families. I think my wife, she was more excited than I was and I was very excited to work at such a prestigious university. She had a couple of her friends reach out and tell her how much they love the area and love the community and the people of Ann Arbor, the neighboring towns and communities. It’s been great. Her and the kids were fired up coming out here.”
Michigan is also expected to soon make official the hires of Martindale, defensive line coach Greg Scruggs (Wisconsin) and defensive backs coach Stephen Adegoke.
