Don Brown runs New England.
There really isn’t a debate. The 64-year-old Michigan defensive coordinator is a household name around Massachusetts and has been pulling elite level kids from the area for years.
Brown was born in Spencer, Massachusetts, coached small-time college football in New Hampshire, was the defensive coordinator at Brown, Boston College and UConn and had head coaching stints at Northeastern in Boston and UMass.
Anyone that’s anyone in New England knows Brown.
“When Don Brown was recruiting AJ Dillon, he was in the end zone, and we were watching St. Sebastian’s to figure out if that’s where Louie was going (to high school),” said Michael Hansen, father of four-star 2021 tight end target Louis Hansen. “I said to Louie, ‘you know who that is?’ and Louie goes ‘yeah dad, that’s Don Brown!.’ Louie is only 14 and just 6-feet tall. I told him to go shake his hand.
"Don says he remembers it, but he might be being nice. Anyway, Louie walks up to Don and says ‘Lou Hansen, see you in three years.’ Imagine that.”
A bit of a mythical legend around New England, Brown commands respect from coaches, parents and recruits. His roots, especially in Massachusetts, run deep. And that’s allowed him to, for a lack of better words, kill it on the trail.
Brown is a Mass guy through and through. He brings a blue-collar attitude to coaching and his no nonsense approach coupled with his respect for everyone he meets perfectly embodies what New England is all about.
“Don Brown, to me, is someone I could see leaving my son with for four years,” the elder Hansen said. “That’s not just for football. I want to make sure he has another dad on the team. As a New England guy, he has grit. And I love that.”
The scrawny 14-year-old Louie Hansen has turned into one of the nation’s premier tight ends in 2021. Thanks to Brown, the Wolverines are a top school early on for Hansen as well as guys like 2021 Rivals100 offensive lineman Drew Kendall and elite 2022 linebacker Tyler Martin.
Brown wowed in New England this cycle, notching three commits from Massachusetts — four-star linebacker Kalel Mullings, four-star offensive lineman Zak Zinter and three-star wide receiver Eamonn Dennis.
Perhaps his best recruiting job came with Mullings, who might be the best of his eye-popping linebacker haul in 2020.
The Rivals250 recruit was basically groomed to go to Stanford and many expected him to pick the Cardinal. But it was Brown that ultimately got him to side with the Wolverines.
“I feel like I just mesh so well with Coach Brown, especially with him being a Mass guy,” Mullings said. “He’s down to earth. I’ve met so many people that know him, and nobody says a bad word about him. Everybody loves him. That carries a lot of weight. It helps a lot that he’s a Mass guy.
“He knows little things like our schedule and the teams we play. He knows who’s good and who’s not. He knows how to relate to me and help me adjust. It’s the little things that help.”
To win a big recruitment like that one, you ultimately have to win over the family. Mullings’ father, Dale, immediately built a connection with Brown, which helped long-term.
“Coach Brown was there Day 1,” Dale said. “He came in and spoke to me when he offered Kalel. He said ‘I’m not like any other coach. I’m to going to call you everyday. You know you have a Michigan offer, and we’re here.’ And he’s been there. If I pick up the phone at midnight, he’ll answer or text me to call him back an hour later.
“He’s always been there. He’s never wavered. He’s never really pressured Kalel. He makes things comfortable, and he’s a good dude.”
Dale added that Brown’s ties and the job he is doing with Massachusetts kids will only help Michigan moving forward.
“He has a great relationship with all the Massachusetts coaches,” Dale said. “It helps Michigan a lot. We’ve got the bus started. We’re coming out there with everybody from here. Seriously though, they trust him. We know that if you can play, you’ll get an opportunity at Michigan. That was a reason why Michigan was my favorite as dad.”
As mentioned, Michigan is off to a terrific start in 2021 with Hansen. Brown keeps in frequent contact with Michael and spent extended time with Louis at The Big House BBQ in the summer.
Brown even put together a personalized power point presentation for the Hansen family detailing tight end usage at Michigan versus other schools on their list as well as the advantages of the business school.
Needless to say, Brown has made a big impression on Louis.
“Don Brown is a Boston guy,” Louis said. “I got to see him at some games around here prior to my recruitment. I talked to him over the summer and got to know him. He’s a funny New England guy. I’m interested in business, and Don Brown told me that they have a Top 5 business school in the country. That’s definitely something that I’m considering.”
Drew Kendall, the nation’s No. 2 ranked offensive guard, also praised Brown and noted that his trust in him will go a long way in his recruitment.
“Coach Brown is a really good recruiter,” Kendall said. “He’s a really good guy. I really like him. Every time I’ve seen him, he’s been nothing but good to me. It’s really cool that he’s a Massachusetts guy.”
The aforementioned Tyler Martin might be Brown’s biggest recruit in the 2022 class. And Brown is a big reason why the Martin family has visited Michigan more than any other school at this point in his recruitment.
“Coach Brown is a really genuine dude,” Martin said. “In a way, he’s like a second father figure because of the way he carries himself and the way he cares for his players. He coaches them like a father would if he were coaching the team.
“It’s definitely a help that he’s a New England guy. We connect over vacations on the Cape, where he vacations as well. There are just a lot of things there that make our connection really strong.”
Like with Hansen and Mullings, Brown is also putting in work recruiting Martin’s father, Mark.
“We do feel very, very comfortable with him,” Mark said. “Coach Brown is a Massachusetts guy. He has a summer house right down by ours. Tyler talks to him like he’s a grandfather or father figure. Coach (Jim) Harbaugh is up here all the time, too. We feel very comfortable with them.”
As long as Brown is at Michigan, the Wolverines will continue to land big-time talent from Massachusetts, which is producing Power Five recruits at an exponential rate, and New England as whole.
Michigan commit Eamonn Dennis might have put it best when asked why Brown rules such a talent dense region.
“Coach Brown is a really good guy,” Dennis said. “We have a great relationship. He’s actually best friends with our athletic director, so I saw him our freshman year in the hallways. It really helps that he’s from Massachusetts because he hooks up his guys from here.
“Man, he knows more than me about Massachusetts (laughs). I know he’s going to be there for his guys when we get to Michigan.”
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