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Football
Matt O'Donnell '12
- Title:
- Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach, Defensive Line
- Email:
- matthew_odonnell@brown.edu
- Joined Brown:
- April 2022-March 2024
- Alma Mater:
- Brown '12
Recruiting Areas: Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, South Texas (Houston/San Antonio/Austin),
Matt O'Donnell '12 joined the Brown coaching staff ahead of the 2022 season and spent two years with the program. After serving as the Assistant Coach, Cornerbacks in 2022, O'Donnell was promoted to Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach, Defensive Line in 2023. A member of Brown's 2008 Ivy League championship squad, O'Donnell returned to College Hill following stints at multiple FBS institutions, and in the NFL with the Houston Texans.
In his first season with the Bears, O'Donnell coached corners Cooper DeVeau and Isaiah Reed, who ranked second and seventh, respectively, in the Ivy League in passes defended. After shifting to coaching the defensive line for 2023, O'Donnell oversaw a pair of All-Ivy selections in Kyle Philbin and Terrence Lane II.
Prior to his return to Brown, O'Donnell served as the Defensive/Special Teams Analyst at Duke, where he was responsible for opponent breakdowns, and producing weekly game plan reports. He also assisted the safeties and special teams coaches, helping the Blue Devils ranks as the No. 2 special teams unit in the ACC in 2021. O’Donnell previously had a separate two-season stint with Duke as a defensive assistant, working with the team’s defensive backs and assisting with recruiting, as well as the offensive and defensive scout teams.
Between his two stints at Duke, O’Donnell spent three seasons on staff in the NFL with the Houston Texans from 2018-20 as Defensive Quality Control, Defensive Assistant and the Coordinator of Football Research. During his tenure in Houston, he assisted with the linebackers and defensive lines, helped with weekly run game planning, protections and cadences, as well assisting with practice planning and the offensive and defensive scout teams, which helped the team produce the NFL’s No. 1 rush defense in 2018.
Previously, O’Donnell held the position of Defensive Assistant at Southern Miss from 2014-15, and worked on the football strength and conditioning staff at the University of Iowa for two seasons starting in 2012.
As a four-year member of the Bears football team, O’Donnell was a member of Brown’s Ivy League championship team as a freshman in 2008. He earned All-Ivy honors as a linebacker during his senior season in 2011 and served on the team’s Leadership Committee. As a senior, he was named the team’s winner of the Charles E. Young – Hillhouse LTD “Unsung Hero” Award.
O’Donnell earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Brown in May 2012. He later earned a master’s in sport’s management from Southern Miss in 2015. He and his wife, Katie O'Donnell have two sons, Bennett and Baylor.
COACHING TIMELINE
Matt O'Donnell '12 joined the Brown coaching staff ahead of the 2022 season and spent two years with the program. After serving as the Assistant Coach, Cornerbacks in 2022, O'Donnell was promoted to Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach, Defensive Line in 2023. A member of Brown's 2008 Ivy League championship squad, O'Donnell returned to College Hill following stints at multiple FBS institutions, and in the NFL with the Houston Texans.
In his first season with the Bears, O'Donnell coached corners Cooper DeVeau and Isaiah Reed, who ranked second and seventh, respectively, in the Ivy League in passes defended. After shifting to coaching the defensive line for 2023, O'Donnell oversaw a pair of All-Ivy selections in Kyle Philbin and Terrence Lane II.
Prior to his return to Brown, O'Donnell served as the Defensive/Special Teams Analyst at Duke, where he was responsible for opponent breakdowns, and producing weekly game plan reports. He also assisted the safeties and special teams coaches, helping the Blue Devils ranks as the No. 2 special teams unit in the ACC in 2021. O’Donnell previously had a separate two-season stint with Duke as a defensive assistant, working with the team’s defensive backs and assisting with recruiting, as well as the offensive and defensive scout teams.
Between his two stints at Duke, O’Donnell spent three seasons on staff in the NFL with the Houston Texans from 2018-20 as Defensive Quality Control, Defensive Assistant and the Coordinator of Football Research. During his tenure in Houston, he assisted with the linebackers and defensive lines, helped with weekly run game planning, protections and cadences, as well assisting with practice planning and the offensive and defensive scout teams, which helped the team produce the NFL’s No. 1 rush defense in 2018.
Previously, O’Donnell held the position of Defensive Assistant at Southern Miss from 2014-15, and worked on the football strength and conditioning staff at the University of Iowa for two seasons starting in 2012.
As a four-year member of the Bears football team, O’Donnell was a member of Brown’s Ivy League championship team as a freshman in 2008. He earned All-Ivy honors as a linebacker during his senior season in 2011 and served on the team’s Leadership Committee. As a senior, he was named the team’s winner of the Charles E. Young – Hillhouse LTD “Unsung Hero” Award.
O’Donnell earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Brown in May 2012. He later earned a master’s in sport’s management from Southern Miss in 2015. He and his wife, Katie O'Donnell have two sons, Bennett and Baylor.
COACHING TIMELINE
| Season | School/Team | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2012-2013 | Iowa | Offensive Strength and Conditioning Assistant Coach |
| 2014-2015 | Southern Miss | Defensive Assistant Coach |
| 2016-2017 | Duke | Defensive Assistant Coach |
| 2018-2020 | Houston Texans | Coordinator of FB Research/Defensive Assistant (2020), Defensive Assistant (2019), Defensive Quality Control (2018) |
| 2021 | Duke | Defensive/Special Teams Analyst |
| 2022-2023 | Brown | Assistant Coach, Cornerbacks (2022), Recruiting Coordinator/Assistant Coach, Defensive Line (2023-pres.) |
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