| Brian Early |
| Hometown |
Monticello, Ark. |
| College |
Arkansas-Monticello '94 |
| Family |
Wife: Nanci
Children: Sydney, Aivery, Camryn & Dre |
| COACHING EXPERIENCE |
| Year |
School, Position |
| 2019-23 |
Houston, Defensive Line |
| 2014-18 |
Arkansas State, Defensive Line |
| 2013 |
Arkansas, Defensive Quality Control |
| 2009-12 |
Fayetteville High School, Defensive Coordinator |
| 2005-08 |
Central Arkansas, Defensive Line/Special Teams |
| 2004 |
Central Arkansas, Linebackers/Special Teams |
| 2002-03 |
Minnesota State-Mankato, Linebackers/Special Teams |
| 2001 |
West Memphis High School, Defensive Coordinator |
| 1999-2000 |
Arkansas-Monticello, Linebackers |
| 1994-98 |
Greenland High School, Defensive Coordinator |
| BOWL EXPERIENCE |
| Year |
Bowl, School |
| 2022 |
Independence Bowl, Houston |
| 2021 |
Birmingham Bowl, Houston |
| 2020 |
New Mexico Bowl, Houston |
| 2018 |
Arizona Bowl, Arkansas State |
| 2017 |
Camellia Bowl, Arkansas State |
| 2016 |
Cure Bowl, Arkansas State |
| 2015 |
New Orleans Bowl, Arkansas State |
| 2014 |
GoDaddy Bowl, Arkansas State |
|
Coach Brian Early on X, formerly Twitter
• Brian Early was named defensive line coach at Houston on Jan. 18, 2019 after five seasons in the same position at Arkansas State. The 2023 season was his fifth at Houston.
• Early mentored seven all-conference selections in five seasons including the program's first Big 12 Conference accolades in 2023 with defensive lineman Nelson Ceaser earning First-Team honors and Jamaree Caldwell picking up Second Team accolades. Ceaser led the Big 12 with 9.5 sacks while Caldwell ranked fifth in the league with 6.5. Since 2020, Early has tutored six student-athletes who made 53-man NFL rosters including four draft selections and two free agent signees.
• Early tutored 2022 First-Team All-Conference honoree D'Anthony Jones who led the nation with eight combined forced fumbles from 2021-22 and paced The American with 14.0 sacks between the 2021-22 seasons. In 2022, Jones boasted the nation's top pass rush grade among edge defenders (93.1) and second-best overall grade among the group (91.4) according to PFF.
• Between 2021-22, the Cougars produced 192 tackles for loss which ranked 11th nationally and first in the state of Texas. Houston's 74 sacks in that timeframe ranked 14th nationally and first in Texas.
• Houston was the only program in the country to rank inside PFF's Top 5 for pass rush grade for three straight seasons between 2020-22. During 2022, Houston boasted the nation's top mark (92.6). The Cougars were second in the country (91.7) in 2021 and tied for fourth (90.3) in 2020.
• During 2022, the Cougars led the nation with two edge rushers ranked inside the Top 10 for pass rush with Jones topping the country (93.1) and Atlias Bell finishing tied for 10th (90.7). Teammate Jamaree Caldwell ranked 23rd among interior defenders with an 83.2 grade by PFF.
• Houston finished the 2022 season ranked 11th nationally with 7.2 tackles for loss per game while doing so for a majority of the season without Derek Parish (torn bicep) who became the only Houston player since 2000 to record at least 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks through the school's first four games. Parish, a seventh round NFL Draft selection by Jacksonville, set the American Athletic Conference record for sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (6.5) in a single game, doing so at Texas Tech on Sept. 10, 2022.
• In his third season as defensive line coach, Early oversaw one of the most feared units in the nation. The 2021 unit earned the name “Sack Ave” for its ability to get after the opposing quarterback. The Cougars recorded 45 sacks, ranking fifth nationally.
• Early has tutored two top-two round NFL Draft picks with defensive end Logan Hall being selected with the first pick of the second round in 2022 and defensive lineman Payton Turner being selected with the 28th overall pick in the first round in 2021.
• Early also helped the Cougars be stout against the run. UH ranked 10th among all FBS teams in rush yards allowed per game (107.1) and yards allowed per rush (3.38).
• Early had two players named to the American Athletic Conference First team with Logan Hall and David Anenih earning the honors. Derek Parish also earned second-team honors under Early.
• During each of Early's five seasons at A-State, the Red Wolves ranked among the top 41 teams nationally in both sacks and tackles for loss. He also tutored at least two all-conference selections on the defensive line each season as Arkansas State made five straight postseason appearances including the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl, 2015 New Orleans Bowl, 2016 Cure Bowl, 2017 Camellia Bowl and 2018 Arizona Bowl. The Red Wolves won back-to-back Sun Belt Conference titles in 2015 and 2016 with a combined 15-1 record.
• Arkansas State had at least five tackles for loss in 39 of its last 42 games and has ranked in the top 25 nationally in each of the last three seasons in TFLs including 13th in 2018.
• Arkansas State was among the best against the pass nationally in 2018, finishing the season 11th in passing defense while permitting only 177.8 passing yards per game.
• Defensive end Ronheen Bingham was named the 2018 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 18.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks, ranking 15th and 26th in the country, respectively. Bingham was one of four defensive linemen to earn postseason honors from the conference as defensive end William Bradley-King and defensive tackle Forrest Merrill each earned second-team honors while defensive tackle Kevin Thurmon earned honorable mention honors.
• Bradley-King, whom Early recruited and coached, spent three seasons with the Red Wolves and was selected by Washington in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Merrill signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as a free agent in 2021, making the club's initial 53-man roster.
• He coached Ja’Von Rolland-Jones all four years of his career, tutoring the defensive end who was twice named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and concluded his time at A-State as the NCAA’s second all-time leader in career sacks (43.5) and ranked eighth in tackles for loss (64.5). Also Arkansas State’s and the Sun Belt Conference’s all-time leader in sacks, Rolland-Jones signed a free agent contract with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals following the 2017 season.
• In 2017, Early’s defensive line helped A-State rank No. 6 in the nation in tackles for loss (8.3 per game) and No. 19 in sacks (2.92 average) as he was nominated for the Broyles Award. Those numbers came one year after the Red Wolves led the country in tackles for loss (9.6 per game) and ranked No. 6 in sacks (3.31 average) in 2016.
• Including Rolland-Jones as first-team selection, the Red Wolves had four defensive linemen named All-Sun Belt Conference in 2017. Also earning the recognition were Ronheen Bingham (2nd Team, DE), Caleb Caston (Third Team, DE) and Dee Liner (Honorable Mention, DL). In addition to Rolland-Jones signing an NFL free agent contract, Liner also signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
• The 2016 defensive-line production led to A-State placing two defensive ends on the First Team All-Sun Belt Conference squad, including Rolland-Jones as he became just the second defensive player in league history to be named its Player of the Year. Fellow defensive end Chris Odom finished the year with 12.5 sacks and signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
• Rolland-Jones and Odom made up the only set of teammates in the nation during 2016 to both rank among top 10 players in the nation in total sacks, as well as the top 20 players in tackles for loss. Early also coached interior defensive lineman Waylon Roberson to an Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt Conference season.
• A-State’s 2015 campaign saw three of his players earn all-league recognition as well. Rolland-Jones, who ended 2015 ranked second in the nation in sacks per game among active players, earned first-team recognition to lead the group. Senior defensive end Chris Stone was tabbed second team and senior defensive lineman Robert Mondie was a third-team choice. His defensive linemen helped A-State rank first in the nation in defensive touchdowns (8) and interceptions (26) and second in turnovers gained (34).
• Led by Rolland-Jones with a team-high nine sacks, A-State’s 2.4 sacks per game was the 41st highest average in the nation. Additionally, the squad’s 6.8 tackles for loss ranked 38th.
• His first season working with the A-State defensive line saw the Red Wolves rank No. 17 in the nation in team sacks (2.85 per game) and No. 36 in team tackles for loss (6.6 per game). Early’s line was responsible for 22.5 of A-State’s 37 sacks that were the most by an A-State team since 2002 and the second most over the last 29 years. The Red Wolves’ front four also accounted for a combined 10 forced and recovered fumbles for a defense that ranked 21st in the nation in turnovers gained and 28th in fumble recoveries. The same group piled up 45.5 tackles for loss, which was over half of the team’s 86 total that were the most since 2011 and tied the program’s third most since gaining FBS status in 1992.
• He coached two All-Sun Belt Conference selections in 2014, including second team pick Rolland-Jones and honorable mention choice Stone. Despite playing in just 10 games before suffering a season-ending injury, Rolland-Jones, named a SCOUT second team Freshman All-American, tallied a team-high eight sacks that were the 11th most in school history for a single season, ranked as the fifth most in the Sun Belt Conference and were the 14th most in the nation. He posted a school-record five sacks against Idaho, which also tied the Sun Belt record and the most in the nation for the 2014 season. The redshirt freshman also collected a team-high 12.0 tackles for loss that were the 10th most in the league.
• Early’s position group were the driving force leading to a combined 146 sacks that are the program’s most over any four-year span since moving to FBS status in 1992. The Red Wolves also posted at least 86 tackles for loss each of the last four seasons, achieving the feat for the first time in school history.
• With previous coaching stops at Central Arkansas, Arkansas-Monticello and three Arkansas high schools, Early brought deep ties to the state with him. Prior to A-State, he most recently served as the University of Arkansas Defensive Quality Control Coach in 2013. His journey to Arkansas State also included a stop on the coaching staff at Minnesota State-Mankato.
• Early spent the four years before his time at Arkansas as defensive coordinator at Fayetteville High School, where he helped the Bulldogs to three straight 7A state championship game appearances and back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. The 2011 and 2012 Fayetteville teams were ranked in the top 50 nationally by MaxPreps.
• His 2012 Fayetteville defense included Brooks Ellis, a two-time Arkansas High School Defensive Player of the Year, and Alex Brignoni, whose 19 career interceptions ranked first all-time in Arkansas history in the state’s largest classification.
• Early went to Fayetteville High School after coaching defensive line for four years and linebackers for one year while also serving as special teams co-coordinator at Central Arkansas. In his time with UCA, the Bears won two conference championships in two different classifications, taking the Division II Gulf South crown in 2005 and the FBS Southland Conference title in 2008.
• They twice led the conference in scoring defense, and Larry Hart was named the 2008 Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year. UCA also led the nation in net punting in 2008, and in 2007 All-American Tristan Jackson led the country with an average of 23.6 yards per punt return. Early also coached the two highest-drafted players in UCA history as Hart was a fifth-round pick by Jacksonville in 2010 and Jacob Ford was a sixth round selection by Tennessee in 2007.
• During the 2002 and 2003 seasons, Early was the linebackers coach and co-special teams coordinator at Minnesota State-Mankato. He was the defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coordinator at West Memphis High School in 2001, helping lead the Blue Devils to the state quarterfinals.
• In 1999 and 2000, he was the linebackers coach and strength and conditioning coordinator at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. There, he coached Danielle Rollins, who led the nation in total tackles in 1999 and in tackles per game in 2000 and was named the Gulf South’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2000.
• Early began his coaching career in 1994 as defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coordinator at Greenland High School. He helped lead the Pirates to back-to-back conference championships in 1997 & 1998. The '98 team was the first to complete an unblemished regular season and recorded the first playoff win in school history.
