The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Defensive Line
A former defensive line coach at LSU and Mississippi State, who also has NFL experience with the Chicago Bears, Brick Haley is in his second season as defensive line coach at Texas.
During his first season with the Longhorns, Haley was instrumental in the development of a strong defensive line which compiled 37 sacks - the fifth-most in the country. A pair of defensive tackles, in Hassan Ridgeway and Desmond Jackson, were named to the honorable mention All-Big 12 team. Ridgeway finished the season with 36 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in just 11 games. He entered the NFL Draft following his junior season and was invited to the NFL Combine in February. Jackson compiled 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. Naashon Hughes (9.0 TFL, 5.5 sacks, 1 ff) and Paul Boyette Jr. (8.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 1 fr) also made strong contributions on one of the Big 12’s best defensive lines in Haley’s first season.
Two players from Haley's first defensive line unit with the Longhorns ended up in Rookie mini camps, as DT Hassan Ridgeway was drafted in the fourth round by the Indianapolis Colts, while DE Shiro Davis signed as an UDFA with the Washington Redskins.
Haley joined the Longhorns in February 2015 from LSU where he served six seasons (2009-14). In that time, he coached 10 defensive linemen selected in the NFL Draft, including a pair of first-round picks in DT Michael Brockers (No. 12 overall in 2012) and DE Barkevious Mingo (No. 6 overall in 2013). Danielle Hunter was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, extending LSU’s streak with at least one defensive lineman picked in the draft to 12 years.
From 2009-14, LSU’s defensive line accounted for 109 sacks and forced 42 turnovers, while allowing only 73 rushing TDs (12 per season).
Last season, despite primarily starting a true freshman and a sophomore at defensive tackle, the Tigers ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense (17.5 ppg) and ninth in total defense (316.8 ypg). Hunter led the team with 13 TFL, and tied for third in tackles with 73 prior to foregoing his senior year to enter the 2015 NFL Draft. Senior DE Jermauria Rasco led the team with eight pressures, tied for second with 7.5 TFL, and was fifth in tackles with 71.
In 2013, Haley was tasked with developing young players as LSU returned only one starter on the defensive line from the previous season. The Tigers lost three players to the NFL from the 2012 squad – Mingo, Sam Montgomery (third round) and Lavar Edwards (fifth round).
Despite losing three NFL Draft picks, Haley and his group responded by putting a unit on the field that featured two All-SEC picks in Anthony Johnson and Ferguson. Danielle Hunter (57 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks) and Jermauria Rasco (56 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks) shined in their first year as starters at defensive end.
In 2012, LSU’s defense again ranked among the best in the nation, allowing just 17.5 points per game (12th nationally) along with 101.6 rushing yards (No. 9 nationally) and 307.6 total yards (No. 8 nationally).
A year prior, when LSU started a perfect 13-0, it was the line that often set the tone for the Tigers defense as it combined for 28.5 sacks and 64 tackles for loss. LSU’s defense ranked in the top five in the nation in four categories in 2011, allowing just seven rushing TDs all season, and holding opponents to 10 or fewer points nine times. It helped the Tigers make an appearance in the BCS National Championship game.
In 2010, the Tigers had two defensive linemen picked in the NFL Draft – Drake Nevis and Lazarius Levingston - while Al Woods was taken in the draft a year earlier.
Under Haley’s direction, LSU’s defensive front combined for 39 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in 2010 after posting 44 tackles for losses and 14 sacks in 2009.
Haley joined the Tigers in the spring of 2009 after two years as the defensive line coach with the Chicago Bears. There he coached a line that helped Chicago rank fifth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game in 2008. The Bears finished sixth in the NFL in sacks in 2007 with defensive end Tommie Harris earning a spot in the Pro Bowl.
Prior to his stop in the NFL, Haley spent three years (2004-06) as the defensive line coach at Mississippi State. He helped improve a Bulldogs defense that finished 41st in the nation in 2006 after finishing 113th a year before his arrival. Defensive end Titus Brown developed into a second-team All-SEC selection after leading the team and ranking fifth in the conference in sacks in 2006.
In 2005, Haley coached the SEC leader in sacks (third in NCAA) and tackles for loss (fourth in NCAA) in Willie Evans, who went on to spend four years in the NFL.
Before arriving at Mississippi State, Haley coached linebackers for two years (2002-2003) at Georgia Tech, where he helped the Yellow Jackets to a pair of bowl games. In 2003, he coached a first-team All-ACC performer after Tech’s trio of starting linebackers finished the 2002 season as the team’s top three tacklers.
Previously, Haley was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Baylor (1999-2001) after coaching outside linebackers for one season each at Clemson (1998) and Houston (1997). The defensive line coach at Troy State from 1994-96, he was promoted to defensive coordinator following the 1996 campaign before leaving for Houston. Haley coached the defensive line at Austin Peay from 1991-93 after starting his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arkansas in 1990. His first coaching job was at Enterprise (Ala.) High School in 1989.
The Gadsden, Alabama, native played linebacker at Alabama A&M from 1984-88 and was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. He received Alabama A&M’s Inspiration Award in 1987 and was named football MVP for the 1988 season.
Off the field, Haley is involved in raising awareness for autism as he annually hosts a golf tournament each year with all proceeds going to his foundation. He and his wife, Tina, have three sons: Adrian, A.J. and Jeremy.
