West Virginia University Athletics

ShaDon Brown is in his fourth year as the co-defensive coordinator and oversees the secondary.

In 2023, the West Virginia defense showed improvement, giving up six fewer points a game than the prior year. The pass defense held 11 of its last 12 opponents to fewer than 300 yards through the air. 

Cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr., an All-Big 12 Conference First Team performer, was WVU’s 112th All-America selection, including 49th since 2002. He was the program’s 13th consensus All-American, second since 2020, earning a spot on 10 teams. He signed a free agent contract with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bishop led the nation in passes defended (24) and breakups (20), was second in forced incompletions (17) and was tied for No. 19 in interceptions (4). He also was No. 2 in WVU history for single-season pass breakups (20).

In 2022, WVU finished with three defensive touchdowns, all by defensive backs (Jasir Cox, Malachi Ruffin, Jacolby Spells). That mark ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 and was No. 12 nationally. Cox led the Big 12 and was No. 22 in fumbles recovered, and Ruffin led the Mountaineers in passes defended.

Safety Aubrey Burks earned All-Big 12 Conference Second-Team honors by the league’s Associated Press writers and was named by PFF College for first-team recognition.

In Brown’s first year as the Mountaineers’ secondary coach, WVU finished No. 5 nationally in red-zone defense, an improvement of 67 spots from the year before, was No. 18 in fewest defensive first downs allowed and in fourth-down percentage, No. 29 in third-down defense (.347), No. 37 in total defense (350.1) and No. 39 in tackles for loss (6.5), an improvement of nine spots.

WVU tied for No. 2 in the Big 12 in conference games in interceptions and was No. 3 in passing defense, giving up only 211.2 yards game through the air. In all games, WVU was No. 5 in the nation in red-zone defense and No. 18 in fewest first downs allowed. 

In 2021 conference games, Charles Woods was tied for No. 11 in the league in interceptions and No. 13 in passes defended. According to PFF College, he had the lowest pass rating allowed in coverage among Big 12 cornerbacks (22.1). 

In 2020, the Louisville secondary led the ACC in passing defense and was No. 17 nationally, allowing 189.2 yards per game. 

In 2019, Brown was named one of the top 30 recruiters in the ACC by 247Sports.

Prior to Louisville, Brown spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons at Colorado, overseeing the secondary. He was promoted to defensive passing game coordinator for the 2018 season.

The Colorado secondary thrived during Brown’s tenure in Boulder, allowing opponents to complete just 56.2% of their passes. The Buffaloes led the Pac-12 Conference in opposing completion percentage (56.7 percent) in 2018 and ranked fourth in 2017. Colorado was No. 2 in third-down defense and No. 5 in total defense and pass defense in 2018 and No. 6 in scoring defense and pass efficiency defense in 2017.

Brown coached a pair of all-conference selections, Evan Worthington, who earned honorable mention honors in 2017 and 2018, and Isaiah Oliver, who was a second-team All-American and an All-Pac-12 First Team selection in 2017. Oliver was a second-round selection by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2018 National Football League draft. Five players Brown coached at Colorado signed NFL contracts: Oliver (Atlanta Falcons), Delrick Abrams (Atlanta Falcons), Davion Taylor (Philadelphia Eagles), Afolabi Laguda (Los Angeles Rams) and Worthington (Baltimore Ravens).

Over his career, Brown has coached more than 18 players who have signed NFL contracts.

Brown spent the 2016 season at Army, coaching the cornerbacks. The Black Knights’ defensive backfield ranked No. 2 nationally in first-down defense, No. 4 in total defense, No. 6 in pass defense (170.2), No. 11 in interceptions (17), No. 16 in scoring defense and No. 17 in pass efficiency defense (115.12).

While Brown was on staff, Army went from a 2-10 record in 2015 to an 8-5 mark in 2016 and a win in the Heart of Dallas Bowl against North Texas.

Prior to that, Brown spent five seasons (2011-15) at Wofford, the first four as cornerbacks coach before switching to the safeties for his final year. Brown was also special teams coordinator during the 2013-14 seasons, before being promoted to recruiting coordinator in 2015. He coached three all-conference corners at Wofford, including Blake Wylie, who earned third-team All-America honors in 2012.

In the summer of 2015, he participated in the NFL’s program for minority coaches by interning with the Super Bowl 50 runner-up Carolina Panthers, where he worked with the defensive backs.

Before joining the Wofford staff, Brown coached in the high school ranks in Kentucky. From 2008-10, he served as the head coach at Rowan County High, where he led the Vikings to the 2010 Class 4A District 8 Championship, the school’s first title since 1982. He was named the Kentucky Class 4A District 8 Coach of the Year in 2010, and 10 of his players went on to play college football. He was an assistant coach at Boyle County High (Neal Brown’s alma mater) for the 2007 season.

He started his coaching career in 2003 as a graduate assistant helping tutor the linebackers at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. After one year, he was promoted to the full-time assistant coach for the inside linebackers (2004-05), helping lead the Patriot football team to as high as No. 5 in the national rankings. In 2006, he returned to his alma mater, Campbellsville, as the inside linebackers coach for one season.

Brown graduated with his bachelor’s degree in physical education and a minor in health education from Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky in 2003 and earned his master’s degree in secondary education from the University of the Cumberlands in 2008. He and his wife, Rhonda, have a daughter, Shaelyn, and two sons, Braylon and Keenan.