Brick Haley DL Coach

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Interesting. Older than most of the other assistant coaches, with a lot of experience at D1 and the NFL. That means he has a lot of contacts all over the country. And doesn't hurt with recruiting to be able to rattle off a list of players he has coached who wound up in the NFL.

Don't know if we'll ever find out, but it would be interesting to learn whether he knows Fleck in any way, or whether he was recommended by someone. Let's face it, most coaching hires are because Coach A knows Coach B from somewhere. so what - if any - is the connection between this guy and Fleck and/or the Gophers' staff?
 

Really impressive background. Proven track record at Missouri, Texas, LSU and the Chicago Bears, showing improvement and results. Coached multiple All-Conference and NFL draft picks at each stop. Defensive Coordinator and LB coach experience as well. Seems to be a proven recruiter as well, based on an impressive list of recruits he was primary on at his previous stops. This looks like a pretty good hire.
 

Like this hire. Mizzou has had some solid defensive lines the last 3 seasons. They really get after it. He was listed as the recruiter on a couple of 4 star and a couple of 3 star defensive lineman in the 2021 class.
 
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Seems like a home run hire to me! Long, Proven track record of recruiting and coaching great Defensive Lines, and sending players to the NFL.
 

Sounds like a home run hire to me. Proven track record.
 





short ornery norwegian said:
Interesting. Older than most of the other assistant coaches, with a lot of experience at D1 and the NFL. That means he has a lot of contacts all over the country. And doesn't hurt with recruiting to be able to rattle off a list of players he has coached who wound up in the NFL.

Don't know if we'll ever find out, but it would be interesting to learn whether he knows Fleck in any way, or whether he was recommended by someone. Let's face it, most coaching hires are because Coach A knows Coach B from somewhere. so what - if any - is the connection between this guy and Fleck and/or the Gophers' staff?
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Regardless, his resume is very impressive.
 





Yes, agree a great hire. But being the realist in me, how long can we keep him?
 

Maybe I missed it, but what has he been doing the last two years? Looks like he wasn’t coaching.
 

Pete smith said:
Yes, agree a great hire. But being the realist in me, how long can we keep him?
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This seems like a different hire than the young guys Fleck recently promoted from within and different than the up-and-comers that Fleck has hired in recent years. This guy is older and doesn't seem to have coordinator or head coach aspirations. There's something to be said for that.
 

Here's the official press release from the U of MN:
Haley Named Defensive Line Coach

University of Minnesota head football coach P.J. Fleck announced today the hiring of assistant football coach Brick Haley. The veteran coach and proven recruiter will lead Minnesota's defensive line. The hire is pending completion of a successful background check.

Haley brings more than 30 years of experience – both in college and in the NFL – to the Gophers. He has primarily coached the defensive line in his career, but has also been a defensive coordinator and coached linebackers.

Haley most recently was at Missouri where he coached the defensive line for four seasons and also held the title of Senior Associate Head Coach. While at Missouri, he mentored a defensive line unit that was routinely one of the top performing unites in the Southeastern Conference.

In 2019, the Tigers ranked 14th in the nation in total defense (312.0 yards per game) and 17th in the nation in points allowed (19.4). In 2018, Missouri ended the regular season ranked 22nd nationally against the run, allowing just 122.9 yards per game to opponents. That per-game total was the lowest allowed by the Tigers since 2009. In 2017, Missouri ranked 13th in the nation in tackles for loss and 24th in quarterback sacks.

While at Missouri, Haley coached defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and Terry Beckner, Jr. Elliott was named a first-team All-American in 2019 by Pro Football Focus and earned All-SEC honors. The Cleveland Browns drafted Elliott with the No. 88 overall pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft and he has played in 32 career games with the Browns. In 2018, Beckner led Missouri in tackles for loss (11.0) and earned second-team All-SEC honors. He spent time in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears.

Prior to Missouri, Haley spent two seasons at Texas, where he coached the defensive line. In 2016, the Texas defense led the Big 12 in both quarterback sacks (3.42) and tackles for loss (7.6) per game, while ranking fifth and 16th nationally in those categories. In 2015, Texas ranked fifth in the NCAA in sacks.

Prior to his time at Texas, Haley was at LSU for from 2009-14, where he perennially directed one of the nation's most disruptive defensive fronts. At LSU, he coached 10 defensive linemen who were selected in the NFL Draft, including a pair of first-round picks in Michael Brockers (No. 12 overall in 2012) and Barkevious Mingo (No. 6 overall in 2013). Haley's line was key reason why the Tigers went 13-0 in the 2011 regular season and reached the 2012 BCS Championship Game.

Haley spent two years with the NFL's Chicago Bears before heading to LSU. In Chicago, Haley coached a line that helped the Bears rank fifth in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed in 2008. The Bears finished sixth in the NFL in sacks in 2007 and Tommie Harris was named to the Pro Bowl.

Haley coached the defensive line at Mississippi State from 2004-06 and he helped the Bulldog defense improve from 113th in the nation prior to his arrival to 41st. Under Haley, Titus Brown developed into a second-team All-SEC selection after leading the team and ranking fifth in the conference in sacks in 2006. In 2005, Haley coached the SEC leader in sacks (third in NCAA) and tackles for loss (fourth in NCAA) in Willie Evans, who went on to spend four years in the NFL.

Previously, Haley coached linebackers from 2002-03 at Georgia Tech and was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Baylor from 1999-2001. He coached outside linebackers for one season each at Clemson (1998) and Houston (1997). He was the defensive line coach at Troy State from 1994-96 and was promoted to defensive coordinator following the 1996 campaign before leaving for Houston. Haley coached the defensive line at Austin Peay from 1991-93 after starting his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arkansas in 1990. His first coaching job was at Enterprise (Ala.) High School in 1989.

A native of Gadsden, Ala., Haley attended Alabama A&M, where he was a standout linebacker from 1984-88. He received Alabama A&M's Inspiration Award in 1987 and was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 1988. In 2005, Haley was inducted into A&M's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Off the field, Haley is passionate about raising awareness for autism, and he hosts a golf tournament each year with proceeds going to his foundation: Brick Road to Success. He and his wife, Tina, have three sons (Adrian, A.J. and Jeremy).

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Rickman55 said:
Maybe I missed it, but what has he been doing the last two years? Looks like he wasn’t coaching.
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He coached DL at Mizzou in 2020. Not sure if he just took last year off or if he was something like an "analyst" last year somewhere.
 

Rickman55 said:
Maybe I missed it, but what has he been doing the last two years? Looks like he wasn’t coaching.
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www.thedailygopher.com

Minnesota to hire Brick Haley as defensive line coach

The Gophers bring aboard a coaching veteran with 30 years of experience
www.thedailygopher.com www.thedailygopher.com

Haley is a veteran assistant with 30 years of coaching experience. He served as a defensive analyst at North Carolina last season after a stint at Missouri, where head coach Eli Drinkwitz opted not to retain Haley after four seasons with the program. Haley’s college coaching career has included stops at Texas, LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Baylor, Clemson, Youston, Troy State, and Austin Peay. He also spent years as the defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.

4 years DL at Mizzou and then an analyst at NC. Not sure why he wasn't brought back at Mizzou as he seems like a solid DL coach
 







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