Brown leaves football staff for coordinator position at UConn

Even as opinions differed on the hiring of Terrapin football coach Randy Edsall early last month, few debated that his decision to retain defensive coordinator Don Brown had been arguably his most important in his early days as coach.

But shortly after welcoming a recruiting class he was instrumental in bringing to College Park, Brown announced Friday he was leaving to take the same position at Connecticut.

"Don came to me this morning and said he wanted to get back home," Edsall said in a release. "He's been down here two years without his family. He felt he needed to go back and be closer to them."

Brown, who said in a Connecticut release that he was "happy to have the opportunity to be coaching back in New England at the highest level at the University of Connecticut," became the second assistant to leave the Terps' staff last week. Edsall announced last week that running backs coach David Walker had accepted a job with the Indianapolis Colts.

During his first season under former coach Ralph Friedgen in 2009, Brown's blitz-heavy defense struggled at times. But 2010 yielded vast improvement for the unit, and his system propelled the Terps to a 9-4 record and a bowl victory. The defense, which will return seven starters this season, finished 39th nationally in yards allowed per game and held an explosive East Carolina offense to 21 points in a blowout Military Bowl victory in late December.

Brown was one of three assistants to remain on Edsall's coaching staff, and his retention was considered critical as the Terps looked to solidify their recruiting class before National Signing Day last week. He was the lead recruiter on seven of the 20 signees in the Terps' 2011 recruiting class, according to Rivals.com, and an important figure in the Terps' locker room.

"I'm building relationships, obviously just trying to educate the guys on the virtues of a Maryland education and playing in our football program and playing in our system, and that doesn't change," Brown said at the team's National Signing Day press conference Wednesday. "Continuity can certainly be a factor, that's for sure."

Edsall said the team would begin a national search for his replacement.

schneider@umdbk.com