Notre Dame football set to hire Brian Jean-Mary as LB coach | source
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SOUTH BEND — Brian Jean-Mary got his start as a graduate assistant a quarter century ago at South Carolina for Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz.
Now the veteran assistant is expected to join Notre Dame football as its linebackers coach, according to a source. Multiple national reports had linked Jean-Mary to the opening early in the week.
Jean-Mary, 50, reportedly accepted the same position at Georgia Tech in mid-January after spending the past two seasons at Michigan. Jean-Mary never officially joined the Yellow Jackets.
With the Irish, he will replace another former Wolverines linebacker coach, Al Washington, who left Jan. 29 for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins after four seasons on Marcus Freeman’s coaching staff. Max Bullough, now co-defensive coordinator at Michigan State, coached Irish linebackers the past three seasons.
On Sunday Feb. 1, a source confirmed Notre Dame was expected to hire Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry to coach Irish defensive backs. Former defensive pass game coordinator Mike Mickens left for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 25.
Considered a top-level recruiter, Jean-Mary is a career-long protégé of former Irish assistant coach Charlie Strong. They worked together at South Carolina (2001-02), where Strong ran Holtz’s defense; and later at all three of Strong’s head coaching stops: Louisville (2010-13), Texas (2015-16) and South Florida (2017-19).
Jean-Mary was Strong’s assistant head coach at Louisville and South Carolina and his recruiting coordinator at Texas.
Strong, 65, was recently fired as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line coach after one season.
Jean-Mary, an Apopka, Fla., native who played linebacker at Appalachian State, also served tours at Tennessee (2021-23), Michigan (2020), Georgia Tech (2004-09), North Alabama (2003) and Louisville (2000).
He was defensive run game coordinator most recently at Michigan under disgraced former coach Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines finished third (2024) and tied for 17th (2025) in FBS rushing defense efficiency, according to Pro Football Focus.
Notre Dame was 23rd and eighth in those years, respectively.
Eleven former players for Jean-Mary have been selected in the NFL Draft, including two first-round picks, defensive back Calvin Pryor (2014, Louisville) and defensive end Marcus Smith (2014, Louisville), and six third-rounders: Georgia Tech linebackers Gerris Wilkinson (2005) and Philip Wheeler (2008); Louisville defensive back Johnny Patrick (2011), linebacker Preston Brown (2014) and defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin (2015); Texas linebacker Jordan Hicks (2015).
His most recent draftee was Michigan linebacker Cameron McGrone, a fifth-round pick in 2021.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football set to hire LB coach Brian Jean-Mary, per source
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