Cal Hires Da'Von Brown as Co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach
Brown would be Michael Hutchings co-DC, while coaching the defensive backend.
Cal officially announces the hiring of Da’Von Brown as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from Western Kentucky..
Prior to doing similar work as the defensive backs and co-DC (promoted in 2025) at Western Kentucky, Brown was at Ole Miss as graduate assistant, then was promoted to defensive analyst. He has coached and played under Lane Kiffin, first as a defensive back coach at Florida Atlantic. His tenure at WKU began as a DB coach in 2023, and then quickly moved up the ranks.
As has been a trend with much of Tosh Lupoi’s hires, the emphasis seems to be on young assistants on the rise. Brown coached the 92nd ranked FEI defense in CFB in 2025 (82nd in SP+) in his only year there, but those metrics are generally unfavorable to G6 programs. In the raw metrics in 2025, Western Kentucky was 8th in the nation in completion rate defense (55.2%) and 16th in passer rating (112), which are eye opening numbers in Conference USA. In his first year in 2023, Western Kentucky forced 15 interceptions and was ranked 35th in passing efficiency defense.
Notable players coached include Kendrick Simpkins (most sacks in the nation by any defensive back in 2023), Anthony Johnson Jr (led C-USA in interceptions in 2023), and Upton Stout (drafted by the 49ers in the 3rd round this year)
He will form an intriguing pair with new defensive coordinator Michael Hutchings (Hutchings coached at WKU, but didn’t quite overlap to coach together). The arrangement appears to be similar to what Lupoi had at Oregon, where Hutchings serves in the Tosh role as lead defensive coordinator, and Brown is in the Chris Hampton role as co-defensive coordinator (Hutchings was announced earlier but did not have the co- title associated).
Welcome to Berkeley Coach!
Lots of youthful energy and relatively recent game-day experience in our leadership.
We got a special teams coordinator!
https://calbears.com/news/2025/12/27/football-tinker-named-cal-special-teams-coordinator.aspx
He's old!