Don Brown will not return as the head coach at UMass, the program announced Monday. Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery will serve as interim head coach.
"I am extremely grateful to Coach Brown for returning to UMass three years ago to help us build back a program he once coached to a national title game," said AD Ryan Bamford. "Don should have immense pride in the outstanding contributions he has made to advance Massachusetts Football during his three stops in Amherst. Upon his return in 2021, we shared a common goal to help UMass football attain conference membership, something that was realized last spring. Largely due to his renowned coaching reputation, Don legitimized our FBS program and Massachusetts football has taken positive steps forward since his return. We are structurally positioned to accomplish our competitive goals as we move into a new league and a new college athletics landscape in 2025."
The 2024 campaign was Brown's third in his second stint on the job. After leading the program to an appearance in the 2006 FCS national championship game plus another quarterfinal appearance, Brown returned to Amherst in 2022 but never recaptured the magic from more than a decade prior. The Minutemen went 1-11 in 2022, 3-9 in 2023, and fell to 2-8 following Saturday's loss to Liberty.
UMass closes with No. 12 Georgia and rival UConn. UMass, UConn and Notre Dame are the only three FBS independents.
One of the most well-traveled coaches in college football, the 69-year-old Brown has previously been the head coach at Plymouth State and Northeastern, and is best known for his 5-year stint as Michigan's defensive coordinator from 2016-20.
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