Notre Dame is reportedly working to hire a former Tennessee Vols coach to Marcus Freeman’s staff
A former Tennessee Vols coach appears to be on his way to South Bend.
Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are reportedly working to hire a former Tennessee Vols assistant coach.
According a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Notre Dame is working to hire former Vols linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary.
Jean-Mary most recently served as the Michigan Wolverines’ linebackers coach/defensive run game coordinator.
Jean-Mary served as Tennessee’s linebackers coach from 2021 to 2023 (he was replaced by William Inge in 2024).
What Brian Jean-Mary said about leaving Tennessee in 2024
Jean-Mary, who also coached at Michigan in 2020, was a popular assistant coach at Tennessee, but he left Rocky Top after the 2023 season due to his “attachment” to Michigan.
“Even when I left (Michigan), I told the guys it felt like the 2020 season was an incomplete part of my coaching career just because of COVID and the way things went,” said Jean-Mary in 2024. “So even leaving and going to another program, [I] still felt a little bit of an attachment to the University of Michigan. And was an admirer from afar. And watching the success that they had, there was not a happier person than myself and my family.
“When the opportunity came up, when Coach (Sherrone) Moore called me, it felt like it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Just because like I said, there was a lot of attachment. A lot of good things that happened here, even though the year didn’t go as we wanted in 2020. But it felt like it was where I needed to be.”
Jean-Mary is a Florida native who played college football at Appalachian State. He doesn’t have a direct connection to the Irish or Freeman, but it’s worth noting that he was a graduate assistant for two seasons at South Carolina under legendary former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz.
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