Travers Family Head Football Coach Tosh Lupoi has named Da'Von Brown the Golden Bears' new defensive backs coach. In addition, Brown will hold a Co-Defensive Coordinator title.

Brown comes to Cal from Western Kentucky, where he served as the Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach in 2025. Prior to his promotion to his Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs role, he spent two seasons as the Hilltoppers defensive backs coach.

The 2025 Hilltoppers went 9-4 and capped off the season with a win in the New Orleans Bowl on Tuesday. Western Kentucky's defensive unit surrendered the least amount of touchdowns through the air in Conference USA this past season and tallied nine interceptions. Overall, the Hilltopper defense gave up a total of 297 total points and Its 22.8 points allowed per game ranked second in the conference. In addition, the Hilltopper defense held 13 opponents to just 41 total fourth quarter points.

Defensive back Jayden Lewis and defensive lineman Harper Holloman garnered Honorable Mention All-Conference USA honors under Brown's tutelage this past season.

In 2024, Brown led one of the top secondaries in Conference USA. The Hilltoppers finished second in the league in pass defense by allowing just 176.1 yards through the air per game, and held opponents under 100 yards passing four times during the regular season to help WKU earn a berth in the CUSA Championship Game and the Boca Raton Bowl. WKU was fourth in CUSA in scoring defense in 2024, allowing an average of 24.6 points per game, and ranked third in the category against league opponents during the regular season at just 20.1 points allowed through those eight games. The Hilltoppers were third in the league in turnovers gained in 2024.

Brown coached multiple players to All-Conference USA honors during the 2024 season. Upton Stout was named All-CUSA First Team Defense and Devonte' Mathews was All-CUSA Second Team Defense. Last April, Stout was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft with the 100th overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers after his standout career with the Hilltoppers.

The Hilltoppers were one of the most aggressive defenses in the nation during the 2023 season, finishing first in Conference USA and tied for seventh nationally in turnovers gained with 26. WKU's 11 fumble recoveries were seventh nationally and the 15 passes intercepted were 15th in the country – marks that ranked first and second in CUSA, respectively. WKU ranked first in CUSA and 35th nationally in team passing efficiency defense, while the Hilltoppers' red zone defense was the second-best in CUSA.

In his first season at WKU, Brown helped coach a secondary that included safety Kendrick Simpkins, who led the nation in sacks by a defensive back and was tied for fifth in the country in forced fumbles per game; and cornerback Anthony Johnson Jr., who was named a CUSA All-Conference Honorable Mention selection after leading the league in interceptions per game. Brown also coached cornerback Davion Williams, who received a rookie minicamp invitation from the Atlanta Falcons following the 2024 NFL Draft.

Brown joined the Hilltoppers following a two-year stint at Ole Miss.

Brown originally arrived at Ole Miss as a graduate assistant in 2021 before being promoted to defensive analyst in 2022, when he helped the Rebels' defense hold opponents to 25 points per game while producing 19 forced turnovers. Ole Miss went 8-5 in 2022 with a win over No. 7 Kentucky and an appearance in the TaxAct Texas Bowl. In Brown's first season in Oxford, the Rebels put together a 10-win season with an appearance in the Sugar Bowl.

Before joining Lane Kiffin's staff at Ole Miss, Brown spent the 2020 season at Geneva College where he served as a graduate assistant coaching defensive backs. The Golden Tornadoes only played five games that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brown played four seasons as a defensive back at Florida Atlantic. Three of those seasons were spent under the leadership of Kiffin, his boss at Ole Miss. In his final three seasons with the Owls, Brown recorded 114 total tackles, six pass breakups, and one forced fumble. As a senior in 2019, Brown registered the third-most tackles on the team with 76 while helping FAU finish the year with an 11-3 record. 

Brown holds a bachelor's degree in public safety administration from Florida Atlantic.