Brown Completes Staff with Six Additions

AMHERST, Mass. – Head coach Don Brown completed his staff with the addition of six assistants who are set to hit the ground running in preparation for the 2022 season.

On offense, Brown has brough on Damian Mincey, Ryan Partridge, and Jeff Moore. Brown additionally hired former Michigan linebacker, Mike McCray, Valdamar Brower, and Darrell Perkins on defense.

Jeff Moore joins the Massachusetts in December 2021. Moore will serve as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator for the Minutemen.

For the past three seasons, Moore served as the head coach of the Loomis Chaffee Pelicans. After taking over the program Moore took the 3-6 program to an 8-1 record, a program best in just two seasons that included a shorted COVID year.

In 2021 the Pelicans earned a three-way tie for the inaugural Founder's League title. Before taking the reins at Loomis Chaffee Moore spent six seasons at St. Thomas Moore.

Mincey previously served as the running backs coach, and special teams coordinator for the University of Albany Great Danes for the last four seasons.

All-CAA Second Team selection Karl Mofor led the charge for Mincey's room in 2021 and paced the conference at 115.0 yards per game on the ground. Overall, the Great Danes rushing attack finished ninth in the conference at 18.2 yards per game with two touchdowns.

2019 All-CAA First Team selection Karl Mofor led the MAC averaging 92.1 rushing yards per game, gaining a league-leading 1,290 yards on the season with 10 rushing touchdowns. Following the season, Mofor was named All-CAA First Team, HERO Sports FCS All-America Second Team, and Phil Steele Postseason All-CAA First Team.

Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks and Karl Mofor, who combined to rush for nine touchdowns and more than 1,300 yards during the 2018 season under Mincey.

Mincey joined the Great Danes after two seasons at Pace University, where he served as defensive coordinator since 2015.

Before joining the Pace staff, Mincey worked as the first football coach for the Capital Region Education Council School District in Hartford, Conn. He also was a defensive coordinator for East Coast Prep in Great Barrington, Mass., for the 2013 season and at East Catholic High School in Manchester, Conn., in 2012.

From 2006-2011, Mincey was on the University of Massachusetts football staff, working as assistant linebackers coach (2006-07), linebackers coach (2008-2010) and tight ends coach (2011). He also assisted with coaching special teams.

Mincey earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Haven in 2002. He was a three-year starter for the Chargers.

Ryan Partridge comes to Amherst after serving as the Director of High School Scouting and Recruiting at Arizona.

Before heading to Arizona, Partridge served as the linebackers coach and Division II powerhouse, Ferris State.

Prior to his time with the Bulldogs, Partridge was the athletic director and head coach at Liberty High School. Partridge directed the Northern California powerhouse to the 2018 D1-A State Championship after compiling a perfect 10-0 league mark. His first Liberty team, in 2017, claimed the school's first North Coast Section Division I Championship. This past season, in 2019, he guided Liberty to a 10-2 overall record.

During his distinguished prep coaching career, Partridge was tabbed as California's Large School Coach of the Year by Cal Hi Sports and named as the San Francisco 49ers High School Coach of the Year in 2018. Partridge also was chosen as the 2018 Bay Area News Group Coach of the Year, the Prep 2 Prep Coach of the Year and the NFL Coach of the Week while being a nominee for the National Football League's High School Coach of the Year Award.

Among the first additions to Don Brown's staff at Massachusetts, Valdamar Brower will serve as the defensive line coach for the Minutemen next season.

Brower comes from Springfield Central High School. The former UMass football All-American is returning to Amherst after serving as the Springfield Central High School head coach since 2008, after joining the staff in 2005.

Brower was a star defensive lineman for the Minutemen from 1999 to 2003. UMass head coach Don Brown was the Minutemen's defensive coordinator from 1998 to 1999.

Spring Field Central High School's first state crown came in the Division III state championship against Tewskbury in 2018, followed by a Div. III title victory against Duxbury in 2019. Central moved up to Div. I heading into this fall and defeated Central Catholic in the title game at Gillette Stadium earlier this month under Brower's leadership.

Most recently Darrell Perkins served as the cornerbacks coach for the Connecticut Huskies since January of 2019. Before UConn, Perkins completed his third season as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Fordham University.

In 2016, Perkins guided a Fordham defensive back unit that was tops in the Patriot League, and fifth in the NCAA FCS, in defensive passing efficiency (106.61) and finished third in the league in interceptions with 13. The Rams led the Patriot League and finished 12th nationally in turnovers gained during the 2016 season.

Prior to his time at Fordham, Perkins coached the defensive backs for the University of Maryland in 2015 and spent the 2014 season as cornerbacks coach at Old Dominion University, overseeing a senior-laden group led by Eriq Lewis and Reggie Owens. Lewis led the unit with 47 tackles and a sack, while Owens had 26 tackles and a sack.

Perkins coached at Connecticut for four years (2010-13), working with the secondary. While at Connecticut, Perkins helped develop Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz, who were both selected in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He also worked with future 2015 first round pick, Byron Jones, while at UConn.

In 2012, UConn's DB's helped the Huskies defense to rank ninth in the country, and first in the BIG EAST, in total defense.

In 2010, the UConn defense was tied for fifth nationally in interceptions and ranked 28th in the nation in pass efficiency defense. The Huskies went 8-5 that year, winning a share of the BIG EAST and earning a trip to the Fiesta Bowl.

Perkins served as the defensive backs coach at Louisiana-Monroe in 2008 and 2009. He helped lead the Louisiana-Monroe defense to the top ranking in the Sun Belt Conference in 2009.

Prior to his stint at Monroe, he was the defensive coordinator at Charleston Southern in 2007. He was the linebackers and special teams coach at Northern Colorado in 2006 and was the defensive backs/special teams coordinator at Charleston Southern from 2004-05.

Perkins was the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator at Ferris State from 2002-03 as the Bulldogs finished first in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in pass defense at 161 yards per game.

Perkins served as a defensive graduate assistant at Purdue in 2000 and 2001. He started his football coaching career at Gateway High School in Aurora, Colo., where he was an assistant coach from 1997-99 at his alma mater.

Mike McCray joined the Massachusetts staff in December of 2021 to lead the outside linebackers.

Before coming to Amherst to work for his former coach, McCray had a stint at Notre Dame after serving at his Alma Mater as a graduate assistant and defensive analyst.

The Trotwood, Ohio native was a three-year letter winner at Michigan, playing from 2014-2017. During his time with the Wolverines McCray appeared in 28 games, earning 26 starts. McCray was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree.

Follow Massachusetts football on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@UMassFootball).

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