Brick 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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