Julius Brown is entering his third season at Utah State and second as the defensive backs coach after coaching the cornerbacks in his first season with the program. Overall, Brown has been part of five conference championships and 10 bowl games as an assistant coach.
In 2017, Brown coached a pair of all-Mountain West performers in cornerback Jalen Davis (first team) and safety Dallin Leavitt (honorable mention). Davis also became just the ninth first-team All-American in school history, as garnered by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, and was named a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, The Associated Press and Phil Steele’s Magazine, along with being a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. Davis finished his senior season ranked tied for fifth nationally with his 20 passes defended and tied for 11th in the nation with his five interceptions, while Leavitt ranked tied for 29th in the nation with his four interceptions. For his career, Davis set the school record with 37 pass breakups and 48 passes defended, while his 11 career interceptions are tied for fourth all-time in school history.
Utah State also played in its sixth bowl game in the past seven seasons during the 2017 campaign.
Following the 2017 season, Davis and Leavitt signed NFL free agent contracts with the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders, respectively.
As the secondary coach in 2017, Brown was part of a Utah State defense that allowed just 182.5 passing yards per game, which ranked fourth in the Mountain West and 19th nationally. USU also ranked second in the conference and 24th in the nation in passing efficiency defense (116.6), and sixth in the nation with 29 forced turnovers, which included ranking tied for second nationally with its 16 forced fumbles. USU also ranked fourth in the nation with five defensive touchdowns in 2017.
During his first season at Utah State, Brown was a part of an Aggie defense that allowed just 176.5 passing yards per game to rank third in the Mountain West and 10th nationally. USU’s defense also ranked third in the conference in passing efficiency (130.9), and fourth in the MW and 47th in the nation in total yards allowed (379.8 ypg), along with ranking sixth in the conference in scoring defense (29.3 ppg).
One player on the Aggie defense that Brown mentored during the 2016 season was cornerback Daniel Gray, who signed an NFL free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
Prior to Utah State, Brown spent two seasons (2014- 15) as the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at Boise State.
During his two years at Boise State, Brown helped the Broncos to a 21-6 record, including a 12-4 mark in the Mountain West and a pair of bowl wins, as it defeated No. 10 Arizona, 38-30, in the 2014 VIZIO Fiesta Bowl and Northern Illinois, 55-7, in the 2015 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. The Broncos also won the 2014 Mountain West title, defeating Fresno State, 28-14, in the championship game.
During the 2015 season, Boise State’s secondary intercepted 22 passes to rank first in the Mountain West and fourth nationally and was led by safety Darian Thompson, who had five picks to rank third in the conference and 20th in the nation. Fellow defensive back Donte Deayon added four interceptions during the season to rank fourth in the MW and 23rd nationally. Thompson was selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, while Deayon signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants in 2016.
Thompson concluded his Boise State career earning All-American honors as both a junior and senior, along with being named a two-time first-team all-Mountain West selection, while Deayon also earned all-Mountain West honors twice.
In 2015, Boise State’s secondary helped the Broncos rank fifth nationally in rushing defense (108.2 ypg), 10th in the nation in opponent’s third-down conversion rate (30.9 percent), 12th nationally in total defense (318.3 ypg), 14th nationally in pass defense efficiency (109.9) and 18th in the nation in scoring defense (20.2 ppg).
Boise State also led the Mountain West and ranked fifth nationally in 2014 with 22 interceptions as Thompson led the conference and ranked tied for third in the country with seven interceptions, including returning one for a touchdown. Deayon intercepted six passes during the year and returned two for touchdowns.
The secondary’s coverage skills played a key role in the Boise State defense leading the conference with the lowest opponents’ third-down conversion rate (34.8 percent), a mark that also ranked 18th nationally, and its second-lowest opponents’ fourth-down conversion rate (42.9 percent). Additionally, opposing quarterbacks posted a passing efficiency of just 116.6 in 2014.
Brown, who also coached cornerbacks and was the recruiting coordinator at Arkansas State in 2013, and coached cornerbacks at Troy (Ala.) in 2012, was a three-year starter and four-year letterwinner for Boise State from 2000-03, earning honorable mention AllWestern Athletic Conference honors after leading the league in passes defended as a senior.
Brown was a member of the 2002 and 2003 WAC Championship teams, and helped lead the Broncos to victories in the 2002 Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl and the 2003 Plains Capital Fort Worth Bowl. He then worked as an offensive graduate assistant at Boise State from 2006-08, and as the Broncos’ Director of Player Personnel from 2009-11. He began his coaching career at Capital High School in Boise during the 2005 season.
Brown, a native of Stockton, Calif., is a 2006 graduate of Boise State with a degree in business administration. Brown and his wife, Cassidy, have one daughter, Lyric (1).Â