12/5/2016 football Edit

Inside Look: Brohm's assistants at Western Kentucky

Kyle Charters • BoilerUpload

Staff Writer

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Jeff Brohm's Western Kentucky staff was a mix of veterans, like his primary coordinators — Tony Levine and Nick Holt, who have head coaching experience — and relative newcomers.

The three-year head coach for WKU, who is scheduled to be introduced as Purdue's new boss Monday afternoon, brought in three new assistants for 2016: Levine, Chris Barclay, and Brian Brohm, plus he shifted duties following health concerns of secondary coach Mike Cassity, who is on leave.

Following is a look at the staff, although it's not yet clear — but might become so soon — who will come with Brohm to West Lafayette:

Nick Holt, associate head coach/defensive coordinator

The four-year DC — he added the associated title in 2014, when Jeff Brohm took over as head coach — has an array of collegiate coaching experience, from Idaho, where he was head coach in 2004-05, to USC, which he helped to a national title as a linebackers coach.

Holt has coordinated defenses Idaho, USC, Washington and now WKU. He’s had a history of improvement — sometimes significant — during his tenures. From 2014 to ’15, the Hilltoppers improved by run defense by 60 yards, their pass by 50 for an overall uptick of more than 104 yards.

During the 12-game regular season, they were allowing 21.8 points and 415.8 yards per game, but have been great in forcing turnovers, with 43 takeaways. The Hilltoppers gave up 44 to La Tech in the C-USA title game, a 14-point WKU victory, raising the season-average to 24.1 allowed per game.

In Holt’s first season at Washington in 2009, the Huskies gave up 12 few points per game than the year previous. And in 2008, Holt’s final season at USC, the Trojans led the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing nine points per game while ranking second in country giving up less than 222 yards an outing.

From 2001-03, Holt was the Trojans’ linebackers coach, helping USC win the national title in ’03.

In 2013, Holt’s first season at WKU, the defense finished the year ranked 14th in total defense.

But Holt’s experience at Western marks a bit of a comeback, after he was fired from Washington following the 2011 season. Then, the Huskies’ defense ranked the bottom 15 of most major statistical categories. And it got ugly toward the end, with Baylor and Robert Griffin III racking up 777 yards of offense and 67 points on Washington in the Alamo Bowl. He was fired two days later.

Holt’s son, Ben, is a backup linebacker for the Hilltoppers, with 34 tackles, a sack and an interception this season.

Tony Levine, co-offensive coordinator/special teams coordinator/tight ends

A former head coach at Houston, Levine would bring a wealth of experience to Purdue, if he is part of the staff that comes to West Lafayette.

This season, the Hilltoppers average 45.1 points and 517.4 yards per game, ranking first (tied) and third in C-USA and second and seventh in the FBS. Including the Saturday C-USA title game win over Louisiana Tech, WKU passed for nearly 4,400 yards, with 39 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, plus has two 1,000-yard receivers and an 1,000-yard rusher.

The former Minnesota walk-on who went on to earn three letters, Levine has expressed desire for a return to being a head coach, an opportunity he had at Houston for three seasons from 2012-14. Levine, who had taken over for Kevin Sumlin before the 2011 bowl game, was dismissed following a 7-5 campaign in 2014, leaving his head coach record in Houston at 21-17. Levine’s tenure featured big offensive numbers, the best being during an 8-5 2013 campaign.

Then, under rookie quarterback John O’Korn (now, Michigan’s backup), the Cougars averaged 33.2 points per game, averaging 419.5 yards per game. O’Korn threw 28 touchdowns passes against only 10 interceptions — Houston incredibly had a plus-25 turnover ratio, due to 43 takeaways — who two receivers with more than 750 yards and 17 total scores.

But Houston was plagued by inconsistency too, losing home openers to UTSA in 2012 and to Texas State in 2014.

Levine, who spent a year on the sidelines in 2015 before taking the job at WKU, spent seven years in Houston, holding titles of special teams coordinator, inside receivers and tight ends coach. In seven years as the special teams coordinator, his units had 20 blocked kicks, nine kick-off returns for touchdowns and seven forced turnovers.

Levine has almost 20 years coaching experience, including at Louisville and for the Carolina Panthers.

Note: Although the Hilltoppers have two coordinators who share the role, Brohm reportedly is WKU's play-caller.

Brian Brohm, co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks

Brohm has little coaching experience, but a wealth of playing.

The younger brother of the head coach, Brohm is in his first season coaching, serving as the quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator for the Hilltoppers.

This season, Brohm has helped quarterback Mike White to an incredible season, as the junior completed 67.4 percent of his passes in the regular-season, with 34 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

It marked a dramatic improvement. White, who sat out in 2015 after transferring from South Florida, was a 15-game starter for the Bulls, throwing only 11 TDs with 16 interceptions.

Brohm was an outstanding quarterback at Louisville, throwing for 10,775 yards as a three-year starter, the second-most all-time at UL. In 2007, he passed for 4,024 yards, the second-most in school annuals; the year before, he helped the Cardinals finish second nationally in total offense.

Brohm was drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft by the Green Bay Packers, spending time there and in Buffalo over three seasons. He played in the UFL and CFL from 2011-15 before retiring.

Bryan Ellis, passing game coordinator/wide receiver

Ellis is in his third season at EKU, each in a different capacity, the latest working with the wide receivers. In 2015, he was the Hilltoppers’ running backs coach and the year previous, he had been an offensive quality coach, helping with the development of quarterbacks.

Ellis is a former quarterback at UAB, where he passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2010, before being a G.A. there for two seasons prior to arriving in Bowling Green, Ky.

Chris Barclay, running backs

One of the ACC’s best all-time running backs, the Wake Forest graduate is in his first season with Jeff Brohm at Western Kentucky.

He’d spent the previous two seasons at Marshall. There, he was credited with helping the Thundering Herd turn from a one-dimensional passing attack into one more balanced, doing so by helping convert Devon Johnson from a tight end to running back. In 2014, Johnson rushed for 1,767 yards, the second-most in school history, with 17 touchdowns.

This season at WKU, fifth-year senior Anthony Wales has had a big season, with 1,167 yards, seven yards a carry, with 20 touchdowns. Two others have totaled more than 800 yards and two scores.

The Hilltoppers have relative balance — for a team that is considered a strong passing unit — with their rushing offense ranking seventh (176.0) in the conference and passing second (329.8)

Barclay spent three seasons in the NFL after his career at Wake, where he was the 2005 ACC Player of the Year.

Don Dunn, defensive tackles/recruiting coordinator

Dunn has spent more than 35 years as a collegiate assistant coach, most notably as a 10-year defensive line coach for Tommy Tuberville at Auburn. There, he helped the Tigers rank first in scoring defense in ’04, sixth in ’05 and seventh in ’06.

But he’s had numerous other stops, including a three-year stint as the director for high school relations under Tuberville at Texas Tech, where he was before taking the WKU job in 2013. Dunn has been an assistant at Ole Miss, Nevada, Pacific, Montana State and Tennessee.

As recruiting coordinator, Western Kentucky currently has 21 commitments, the 10th-most in the country. Rivals ranks it as the 57-best class, as of now, but tops in the C-USA. It’s 2016 class ranked fourth (tie) in the conference in 2016, ninth in 2015 and second in 2014.

Reggie Johnson, defensive ends

A Chicago native, Johnson has coached at Louisville, where he played before graduating in 1996, Arkansas, UTEP, UAB and Alabama A&M.

He was at A&M, where he served as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, before taking the job at Western Kentucky before this season. This is his first stint coaching linemen in more than a decade, since he did so for a season at Louisville in 2003. In the interim, he was a linebackers coach at UL, Arkansas and UAB, where he was also the coordinator.

In the ’03 season at Louisville, the defense included All-American Elvis Dumervil and Amobi Okoye.

Dale Williams, offensive line

The veteran assistant is in his first season at Western Kentucky, but has ties to Jeff Brohm.

The two coached together at Florida Atlantic for a season, under head coach Howard Schellenberger. At FAU, Williams coached with former Purdue OC Gary Nord, who was the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

This season, the Hilltoppers have allowed only 16 sacks, the second-least in C-USA, while their rushing offense averaged 5.3 yards per carry, the fourth-best in the league.

Mike Cassity, secondary

The assistant is on leave this season while he deals with health concerns.

Cassity, who is in his fourth season, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2012 and underwent chemotherapy treatments and a bone marrow transplant in early 2013.

In his place, WKU has split secondary duties between Ryan Beard, who handles the safeties, and graduate assistant Chris Springer, who directs the cornerbacks.

Beard, who played safety for WKU, spent 2015 at Northern Michigan, his first full-time coaching job; he had been a gradate assistant at Western before being a Louisville for a season in defensive quality control.

Springer has been with WKU since the 2014 season.