UMass fires head coach days before playing Georgia

UMass parts ways with its head coach before the Georgia game in what is not exactly ideal timing.

The University of Massachusetts has parted ways with head coach Don Brown ahead of their upcoming matchup against Georgia.

The Georgia Bulldogs kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive with a commanding 31-17 win over Tennessee in primetime last weekend, wrapping up their conference schedule. Now, they shift focus to a non-conference game against UMass. Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery will serve as UMass’ offensive coordinator following Brown’s dismissal on Monday.

Don Brown began his coaching career in 1982 at Dartmouth and held various defensive coordinator roles at Northeast programs like Yale, Brown, and UMass, where he first joined in 1998. He became Northeastern’s head coach in 2000, staying until 2003, and later led UMass from 2004 to 2008. Brown also worked as a defensive coordinator at Maryland, UConn, Boston College, and Michigan before returning to UMass as head coach in 2022.

Despite an overall head coaching record of 101-71, UMass’s 2-8 start this season led to Brown’s dismissal during his second stint with the program. UMass has already faced two SEC opponents this year, Missouri and Mississippi State, and will now prepare to take on Georgia.

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The Minutemen are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Liberty, where they led 20-7 at halftime but ultimately lost in overtime. The program will also begin its search for a new head coach.