UMass football coach Don Brown has resigned to become the defensive coordinator at Maryland.

UMass athletic director John McCutcheon made the announcement Friday and said a national search will begin immediately for a new coach.

He replaces former Maryland defensive coordinator Chris Cosh, who left to return to Kansas State as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

Maryland finished the regular season ninth in the ACC in total defense (355 yards per game), 10th in rushing defense (149.4 yards per game), and eighth in scoring defense (21.4 points per game).

In his five seasons as head coach, Brown went 43-19 leading the Minutemen to two NCAA Football Championship Series (Division I-AA) tournaments, including the 2006 NCAA title game. In 2006 and 2007, Brown led UMass to a 23-5 overall record with a 14-0 mark at home. The Minutemen went 7-5 in 2008 and missed the playoffs.

Brown said he was proud of his time at UMass and that the school will always have a special place in his heart.

Before coming to UMass, Brown coached Northeastern and Plymouth State.

Labels: coaching changes