Louisville football: Bryan Brown changing the defense one player at a time

Russ Yeast was all but gone heading into the end of last season, but new Louisville football defensive coordinator Bryan Brown seems to be getting a different player. 

Head Coach Scott Satterfield and the Louisville football staff have been busy capitalizing on the extra media in town for the Kentucky Derby this week and they’ve provided some interesting comments to say the least.

The past few months the staff have treaded lightly commenting on last year and the previous regime, but this week they’ve really pulled no punches.

Last year’s defense (or there lack of) has been the hot topic this week. Comments like, “One of the worst I’ve ever seen,” to “they weren’t very good” has been making the rounds.

None of this really surprises any of us as we were the ones who sat and watched it all unfold last season after naively thinking it couldn’t get any worse than the “Peter Sirmon experiment.”

Still, it’s unbelievable and I remain flabbergasted when I hear Defensive Coordinator Bryan Brown make comments in regards to how bad the culture and morale were last season, saying:

"“I did not know (how bad it was) until I got here. Until I stepped foot on campus in December and I met with a couple of guys and I’m like “Oh My Gosh! Like you didn’t know where the coach’s offices were?” That’s the God’s to honest truth, we had players who didn’t know where the coach’s offices were.It blew me away cause from the time I’ve grown up playing any sports, I’ve always talked to my coaches no matter what. . .And then when you get here and you talk to guys and there like “well you know, I’ve never seen my coach’s house. I’ve never been invited to my coach’s house. I don’t know where his office is.” That BLEW my mind!”"

That not only infuriates me to hear that’s what our student-athletes were enduring last year, but it’s sad. No wonder players like Russ Yeast and others were fed up and wanting to leave. That is not what any player signs up for, nor does it meet the expectation of the player’s parents who entrust coaches to watch over their children for the next four years.

Luckily there are new coaches in place and guys like Bryan Brown who were here in December to convince players like Russ Yeast to take his name out of the transfer portal.

A highly touted, former four-star defensive back out of Greenwood, IN, Russ Yeast arrived on campus in 2017 with high expectations.

After Jaire Alexander went down with a knee injury against Purdue, Yeast struggled with his performance on the field most of his Freshman year as he was thrusted into action early and often. Looking to rebound his Sophomore season, Yeast felt he was ready. But playing in a bad defensive scheme, being out of position and a Cardinals football program in total disarray had taken its toll on Yeast. Before the season had concluded, he had put his name in the transfer portal.

After some open dialogue and friendly persuasion, Bryan Brown convinced Russ Yeast that the two of them could figure it out together and to give him and the new Cardinal defensive staff a chance:

"“When I got here in December and met with him (Yeast), I said “Hey, let’s get your name out of the portal. Let’s try to work this thing out.”Right now he’s our starting strong safety. He’s unbelievable! We moved him from corner to safety, that was one of our moves and he fits just perfectly at that spot. He’s like a corner, but he’s not a true corner if you understand what I’m saying. He’s not a guy that can just go out there on an island all the time and lock up on one. My strong safety in our defense is really a third corner that tackles really well.(Last year) He was done, he was finished. He’s an unbelievable kid! And he’s probably going to go out with the ones come Notre Dame next year.”"

Now on his third defensive coordinator in as many years, is the third defensive coordinator a charm? It appears so. Reports were all positive about Yeast’s transition to Safety during Spring practice. The culmination of those reports was confirmed in the final open practice at Cardinal Stadium where Yeast indeed did start at Safety alongside Khane Pass. He had a strong outing intercepting Jawon Pass early in the scrimmage and apparently was fulfilling the expectation at Safety by Coach Bryan Brown.

Now positioned to be a starter opening game against Notre Dame, it’s up to Yeast to keep that starting role through the Summer into the fall campaign. Like Coach Satterfield was quoted as saying earlier this week on local Cardinal radio program “Ramsey & Rutherford, “Nothing is given. Everything’s earned.”

Yeast has earned that starting spot at Safety, but he can’t get complacent. He can’t get comfortable and stop working. With his willingness to embrace a new staff, a new culture, a new position, Yeast appears poised and ready to produce on the field and live up to those lofty expectations.

– GO CARDS!