Ole Miss defensive coordinator Bryan Brown met with reporters Tuesday for his first fall camp availability, and the most useful thing he did wasn’t describe what the first scrimmage looked like. It was explain what it was for.
The scrimmage was a communication test
Brown said the staff played a lot of players specifically to get a look at the ones who hadn’t been in that environment before — in the stadium, with no coaches on the field.
That was the point of the exercise. Brown said they wanted to see who could communicate without coaches out there to help, and who could make plays in that setting. He described it twice as a genuinely different environment than a normal practice.
His review of the result was measured. There were ups and downs. The defense gave up some plays. They made mistakes, but corrected them on the sideline. And he credited the other side of the ball without being asked to, noting that Ole Miss has a really good offense.
Golding calls it. Brown is upstairs.
Asked directly whether he’d be in the box or on the sideline this season, Brown confirmed he’ll be upstairs, with head coach Pete Golding still calling the defense from the field. Brown described his own role as being Golding’s eyes in the sky.
That detail matters more than it might sound. Brown talked about wanting to eliminate the bumps in the road by game time — and the phrase he used was “from the box to the field.” It’s a communication chain that didn’t exist last season, and the first scrimmage was the first real chance to rehearse it.
Brown also noted that his own preparation hasn’t changed much. He said he has always prepared like a coordinator at every position-coach stop so he’d be ready when the opportunity came, and that having been a coordinator elsewhere for several years helped him step into running the room. Spring, he said, was valuable time to get adjusted to Golding’s calls.
Who replaces the pass rush
Ole Miss lost pass-rush production to the portal this offseason. Asked who steps into that role, Brown framed it as a group effort across the entire front rather than a single replacement — and named four players who have stood out:
- Suntarine Perkins
- Kam Franklin
- Blake Purchase
- Jonathan Maldonado
Brown said all four have done a really good job stepping up from a pass-rush standpoint, and credited the position coaches for it. He also left the door open to generating pressure with second-level players and the edges when the defense blitzes.
Keaton Thomas: “a bell cow”
Asked what he’s seen from linebacker Keaton Thomas since he arrived, Brown didn’t hedge. He described Thomas as tough, a great competitor who loves the game and is always in the building watching film — and said the whole linebacker room is like that, not just him.
What stood out most was the motivation. Brown said Thomas is hungry to prove he belongs in this league, and that so far he’s showing that he does — communicating, flying around and making plays.
Brown called him a bell cow for the defense.
Vocal leadership: Echoles, Thomas, Ferrelli
Improving vocal leadership was one of the stated goals coming out of spring. Asked who has delivered, Brown named three players.
Will Echoles came first, and the detail was a good one — Brown described Echoles as a quiet guy by nature who has shown noticeably more vocal leadership this camp. He added Keaton Thomas and Luke Ferrelli, and said it’s valuable to have players around who have been in the game and done good things, wherever they came from.
The secondary is a work in progress
On a group full of newcomers, Brown said the secondary is meshing better than it was in the spring, but that the staff is throwing a lot at them right now and needs to see more consistency.
He noted a couple of players in that room are dinged up — he didn’t name anyone — and framed it as an opportunity, since it means other players have gotten a lot of reps and the staff has learned what they’re good at. His summary: a work in progress, and hopefully gelling by game time.
On corner Jaylon Braxton being healthy through camp, Brown’s emphasis was on reps rather than availability — being on the field in different formations rather than watching from the sideline, and the mental work that comes with it. He called Braxton a veteran who has played a lot of football.
Comparing this defense to 2024
A reporter prefaced a question by noting Brown wasn’t here in 2024. Brown corrected him — he was.
That gives him standing on the comparison, and he was careful with it. Brown said the 2024 group was really, really talented, and that this group has a lot of talent too, with more depth — especially up front, and some added depth in the secondary.
But he stopped short of saying this defense will be better. His answer was that they have a chance to be, for sure, if they do things right, do their job and execute at a high level.
On mentality, he found the two groups genuinely comparable: both rosters were full of players who had competed in the SEC, played winning football, come from really good programs, and played in big stadiums where a crowd won’t bother them.
Going against John David Baker every day
Asked how new offensive coordinator John David Baker‘s offense compares to what was run here previously, Brown’s first answer was about pace — fast tempo, fast tempo, fast tempo, which he noted last year’s offense was as well.
Beyond the similarity, he said Baker gives the defense a lot of different looks and something new every day, which forces his group to use all of its rules and tools. He called Baker a great play caller and said he’s looking forward to seeing what the season brings.
On Perkins and the Chucky Mullins Award
In his first chance to address it, Brown said Suntarine Perkins receiving the Chucky Mullins Courage Award means a lot, and that Perkins represents everything Chucky Mullins stood for.
He pointed to Perkins being a Mississippi kid who goes about his business the right way on and off the field, said nobody is more deserving, and added that he’s glad Perkins is still on the squad.
Pete Golding, head coach
Having watched Golding run a defense for two seasons and now a program, Brown said not much has changed beyond the scale. What Golding did managing the defensive staff, he now does with the whole team.
His summary: the title changed. Other than that, Golding is being himself.
The identity he wants
Asked what he’s hoping this defense becomes, Brown gave a short, ordered answer:
- Physical — first, and he repeated it
- Play fast
- Limit explosive plays
- Play really smart
Keep the ball inside and in front. Play physical inside the box, outside the box and on the perimeter. Do those things, Brown said, and it gives Ole Miss a chance to win football games in this league.
Ole Miss opens the season against Louisville on Sept. 6 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.