Thomas Brown hired to coach UGA running backs

ATHENS — Thomas Brown, who coached Heisman Trophy runnerup Melvin Gordon at Wisconsin this past season, has been named the new running backs coach, coach Mark Richt announced on Monday.

The move allows former running backs coach Bryan McClendon to coach wide receivers.

Richt also said McClendon would assume the role of passing game coordinator. Brown and McClendon were teammates on the 2005 Georgia SEC championship team.

“These moves with two former Georgia teammates will add a great dimension to our offensive coaching staff,” Richt said. “It brings back a great Bulldog running back in Thomas who has NFL playing experience and has had success as a college coach at multiple schools. He also inherits a position that has been built to an elite level by Bryan.

“And it gives Bryan the opportunity to return to coaching the position he played and the one where he cut his teeth serving as a graduate assistant under wide receiver coach John Eason here at UGA. It also provides him with a new experience as passing game coordinator.”

At Wisconsin in 2014, Gordon posted the second-best season ever by a running back with 2,587 rushing yards and 32 total touchdowns. He and sophomore Corey Clement combined to run for 3,536 yards to break the single-season Football Bowl Subdivision record for rushing yards by teammates that had been set the year before by Gordon and James White (3,053

yards).

The Badgers posted the two most prolific rushing performances in the country in 2014 with a school-record 644 rushing yards against Bowling Green and 581 against Nebraska, and their average of 6.91 yards per rushing attempt ranks as the fourth-best mark in FBS history.

Prior to joining the Wisconsin staff, Brown served as the running backs coach at Marshall in 2013 and at UT Chattanooga in 2012. He spent the 2011 season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at UGA.