Staff Directory
Brown, Jahmal
Jahmal Brown
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
(Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
- Alma Mater:
- Bowling Green, 2010
- Office Phone:
- (478) 301-2713
- Email:
A 14-year coaching veteran with previous stops at five other collegiate institutions, Jahmal Brown begins his second year at Mercer in 2025-26, as well as his seventh season alongside head coach Mike Jacobs, as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Bears. Brown joined the coaching staff in Macon in January 2024 after spending the previous two seasons in a similar role at Youngstown State.
Utilizing one of the nation’s top defensive units that helped it bully its way through the league gauntlet and stake claim to the first conference championship in the 51-season history of the program, Mercer paced all 123 FCS teams in five defensive statistical categories in 2024, including school-record marks for forced turnovers (34), passes intercepted (25) and rushing defense (70.8 rushing yards/game allowed). The Bears also led the nation with eight defensive touchdowns and 3.29 sacks per game, while Myles Redding was tops among FCS's pickpocketers with nine interceptions (0.6/game).
Mercer sent nine defensive standouts to All-Southern Conference recognition, including defensive linemen Brayden Manley and Andrew Zock who also hauled in the league’s defensive player and freshman of the year honors, respectively. Four of those student-athletes went on to be crowned with all-America laurels, including cornerback TJ Moore who finished runner-up in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award which honors the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football.Â
Youngstown State boasted one of the nation’s stingiest rushing defenses with Brown at the reins, including a 2023 campaign that watched the Penguins limit opponents to just 120.2 rushing yards per game (10th NCAA). YSU also ranked among the nation’s elite pass rushing squads during both seasons, amassing 63 sacks (2.6/game) across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Penguins turned in five or more sacks five times across that span, including seven quarterback drops in a rout of Southern Illinois on Oct. 7, 2023.
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Youngstown State compiled a 15-9 clip with Brown roaming the sidelines, including an 8-win performance in 2023 that culminated in the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. Seven student-athletes picked up prestigious All-Missouri Valley Football Conference accolades under his watch.
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Prior to trekking to Ohio, Brown put together a dominant defensive unit at Lenoir-Rhyne during the Spring and Fall 2021 campaigns as the Bears amassed a cumulative 11-4 clip, including an 8-3 record during a fall season that concluded in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. L-R boasted the nation’s 5th-best passing efficiency defense (95.32) that season, while also holding opponents to just 16.4 points per game (16th NCAA). The Bears ranked fourth, nationally, during the pandemic-shortened spring season, while also ranking eighth among NCAA Division II squads in fumble recoveries.
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Brown dove into a role as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame (Ohio) under head coach Mike Jacobs in time for the 2018 campaign and helped lead the Falcons to a 25-3 record across two seasons (2018-19), two Mountain East Conference championships and a pair of deep runs in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, including an appearance in the semifinals that capped his first year in South Euclid, Ohio. Brown mentored four different student-athletes to a pair of all-region honors at NDC, including defensive lineman Sha’haun Williams who went on to pick up all-America accolades following both his junior and senior seasons.
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In two seasons (28 games) under Brown’s leadership, Notre Dame’s stop unit limited opponents to just 2.6 yards per rushing attempt (86.4 yards/game), while also amassing 90 sacks (3.2/game) and forcing 57 turnovers, including 28 interceptions. In 2018, Notre Dame ranked among NCAA Division II’s top-3 teams in four defensive statistical categories, including the nation’s top unit in both red zone defense (.413) and fumble recoveries, and he was named the College Assistant Coach of the Year by the North East Ohio chapter of the National Football Foundation at season’s end.
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Brown transitioned into the coaching world as a graduate assistant coach at Bowling Green (2011-13) where he helped pace the Falcons to the 2013 Mid-American Conference Championship, as well as berths in both the 2012 Northrup and Gruman Military Bowl and the 2013 Little Cesars Pizza Bowl. He coached the defensive backs and linebackers at Saginaw Valley State during the 2014 and 2015 seasons before making the move to Notre Dame.
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A four-year starter for Bowling Green as a safety, Brown played in 50 consecutive games (48-straight starts) from 2006-09 and captained the Falcons during a senior season that produced an award as the team’s most valuable defensive back. He was invited to participate in the Detroit Lions Rookie Mini-camp prior to the start of the 2009 National Football League season as well.
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A product of Cleveland, Ohio, Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Bowling Green in 2010, and completed his graduate work in sports administration at BGSU in 2014. Jahmal and his wife, Janelle, have two daughters, Ayanna and Amara.
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Utilizing one of the nation’s top defensive units that helped it bully its way through the league gauntlet and stake claim to the first conference championship in the 51-season history of the program, Mercer paced all 123 FCS teams in five defensive statistical categories in 2024, including school-record marks for forced turnovers (34), passes intercepted (25) and rushing defense (70.8 rushing yards/game allowed). The Bears also led the nation with eight defensive touchdowns and 3.29 sacks per game, while Myles Redding was tops among FCS's pickpocketers with nine interceptions (0.6/game).
Mercer sent nine defensive standouts to All-Southern Conference recognition, including defensive linemen Brayden Manley and Andrew Zock who also hauled in the league’s defensive player and freshman of the year honors, respectively. Four of those student-athletes went on to be crowned with all-America laurels, including cornerback TJ Moore who finished runner-up in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award which honors the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football.Â
Youngstown State boasted one of the nation’s stingiest rushing defenses with Brown at the reins, including a 2023 campaign that watched the Penguins limit opponents to just 120.2 rushing yards per game (10th NCAA). YSU also ranked among the nation’s elite pass rushing squads during both seasons, amassing 63 sacks (2.6/game) across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Penguins turned in five or more sacks five times across that span, including seven quarterback drops in a rout of Southern Illinois on Oct. 7, 2023.
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Youngstown State compiled a 15-9 clip with Brown roaming the sidelines, including an 8-win performance in 2023 that culminated in the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. Seven student-athletes picked up prestigious All-Missouri Valley Football Conference accolades under his watch.
Â
Prior to trekking to Ohio, Brown put together a dominant defensive unit at Lenoir-Rhyne during the Spring and Fall 2021 campaigns as the Bears amassed a cumulative 11-4 clip, including an 8-3 record during a fall season that concluded in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. L-R boasted the nation’s 5th-best passing efficiency defense (95.32) that season, while also holding opponents to just 16.4 points per game (16th NCAA). The Bears ranked fourth, nationally, during the pandemic-shortened spring season, while also ranking eighth among NCAA Division II squads in fumble recoveries.
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Brown dove into a role as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame (Ohio) under head coach Mike Jacobs in time for the 2018 campaign and helped lead the Falcons to a 25-3 record across two seasons (2018-19), two Mountain East Conference championships and a pair of deep runs in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, including an appearance in the semifinals that capped his first year in South Euclid, Ohio. Brown mentored four different student-athletes to a pair of all-region honors at NDC, including defensive lineman Sha’haun Williams who went on to pick up all-America accolades following both his junior and senior seasons.
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In two seasons (28 games) under Brown’s leadership, Notre Dame’s stop unit limited opponents to just 2.6 yards per rushing attempt (86.4 yards/game), while also amassing 90 sacks (3.2/game) and forcing 57 turnovers, including 28 interceptions. In 2018, Notre Dame ranked among NCAA Division II’s top-3 teams in four defensive statistical categories, including the nation’s top unit in both red zone defense (.413) and fumble recoveries, and he was named the College Assistant Coach of the Year by the North East Ohio chapter of the National Football Foundation at season’s end.
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Brown transitioned into the coaching world as a graduate assistant coach at Bowling Green (2011-13) where he helped pace the Falcons to the 2013 Mid-American Conference Championship, as well as berths in both the 2012 Northrup and Gruman Military Bowl and the 2013 Little Cesars Pizza Bowl. He coached the defensive backs and linebackers at Saginaw Valley State during the 2014 and 2015 seasons before making the move to Notre Dame.
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A four-year starter for Bowling Green as a safety, Brown played in 50 consecutive games (48-straight starts) from 2006-09 and captained the Falcons during a senior season that produced an award as the team’s most valuable defensive back. He was invited to participate in the Detroit Lions Rookie Mini-camp prior to the start of the 2009 National Football League season as well.
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A product of Cleveland, Ohio, Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Bowling Green in 2010, and completed his graduate work in sports administration at BGSU in 2014. Jahmal and his wife, Janelle, have two daughters, Ayanna and Amara.
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| THE BROWN FILE | |
| Coaching Experience | |
| 2011-13 | Bowling Green State (Graduate Assistant Coach/Defensive Backs) |
| 2014-15 | Saginaw Valley State (Assistant Coach/Defensive Backs & Linebackers) |
| 2016 | Notre Dame, Ohio (Assistant Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator & Defensive Backs) |
| 2017 | Benedictine (Ohio) High School (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) |
| 2018-19 | Notre Dame, Ohio (Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator) |
| 2020-21 | Lenoir-Rhyne (Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator) |
| 2022-23 | Youngstown State (Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator) |
| 2024-Present | Mercer (Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator) |
| Playing Experience | |
| Four-year (2006-09) starter at defensive back for Bowling Green. Played in 50 consecutive games for Falcons. Invited to Detroit Lions Rookie Mini-Camp following senior season. | |
| Education | |
| Bachelor's degree in education (Bowling Green State, 2010). Master's degree in sport administration (Bowling Green State, 2014). | |
| Family | |
| Wife, Janelle, and two daughters, Ayanna and Amara | |
Updated: June 2025
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