This story has been updated to reflect Notre Dame’s official announcement on Feb. 7.
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 will join Notre Dame football as its linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator, the university announced in a press release on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Jean-Mary, 50, reportedly accepted the same position at Georgia Tech in mid-January after spending the past two seasons at Michigan. However, Jean-Mary never officially joined the Yellow Jackets.
Also on Feb. 7, Notre Dame made official its hiring of Illinois co-defensive coordinator Aaron Henry to the same role. Henry, who played for Irish defensive coordinator Chris Ash at Wisconsin, will coach defensive backs in the wake of Mike Mickens’ Jan. 25 departure for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
With the Irish, Jean-Mary 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.
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 announces hiring of Brian Jean-Mary as LB coach
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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