On Friday, UTEP Athletics announced that Head Coach Dana Dimel has appointed Josh Brown, Charles Jones, Barrick Nealy and Trevin Wade to positions on his UTEP Football coaching staff, while Keith Burns has been named Director of Recruiting & Director of Player Personnel for the Miners.
Brown takes over as Secondary/Safeties Coach, Jones will be in charge of Offense Quality Control, Nealy is Running Backs Coach & Recruiting Coordinator and Wade is Cornerbacks Coach.
“I’m excited about the changes to our staff and what our new coaches will bring to the table,” UTEP head coach Dana Dimel said.
“Some bring incredible recruiting ties in areas that are going to be really beneficial for us. Some have NFL experience, and it’s going to be tremendous for our young kids to learn from guys who have competed at the highest level. I think that combination, coupled with the relationships our coaches will build with the players, will continue to move us in the right direction as a staff.”
ABOUT JOSH BROWN
Brown brings 20 years of collegiate coaching experience to the Sun City. Most recently he served as safeties coach at Nevada for the Wolf Pack’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl appearance versus Ohio in 2019.
He has been affiliated with two conference championship teams (2011 Great West, 2012 Big Sky), four postseason teams (2006 Hawaii Bowl, 2012 & 2016 NCAA Playoffs, 2019 Potato Bowl), and three teams that finished the season ranked in the top-25 nationally (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016) during his career.
Previously, he was defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Cal Poly from 2012-19. Under Brown’s tutelage, the Mustangs rated top-three in the Big Sky Conference in points allowed and total defense in 2012, 2013 and 2015. Cal Poly ranked top-three in the league in rushing defense on four occasions (2012, 2013, 2016, 2017). His 2013 unit was listed among the national leaders in points allowed (19th) and rushing defense (25th), while his 2017 squad was also top-25 (19th) in red zone defense.
In 2013, Brown coached the Big Sky Co-Defensive Player of the Year in defensive tackle Sullivan Grosz. He also coached Nick Dzubnar, who shattered the school record for tackles in a season in 2014 and currently plays for the San Diego Chargers. Brown spent the 2010 and 2011 campaigns at Cal Poly as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach, when he oversaw punt return, kickoff and kickoff return units that rated among the nation’s best.
He also spent time at Foothill College as Special Teams Coordinator/PE Instructor (2000-05), Arizona State as Defensive Line Graduate Assistant (2006), Sacramento State as Recruiting Coordinator/Linebackers Coach (2007-08) and Kansas as Quality Control Coach/Linebackers (2009).
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from San Jose State in 2003, and added a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Education from Arizona State in 2007. Brown and his wife, Kasey, have a son, Ty, and a daughter, Tatum. He played his prep football at San Luis Obispo High School.
Brown’s father-in-law is Mike Church, a former assistant coach at UTEP and a member of the staff on the 10-win, 1988 Miners.
ABOUT CHARLES JONES
Jones has been elevated to a Quality Control Coach after spending the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a Graduate Assistant with the Miners.
He played running back for coach Dimel at Kansas State from 2012-16. Jones lettered three seasons and rushed for over 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns as a Wildcat. Jones tallied a career-high 14 total touchdowns in 2014 and ran for a career-best 696 yards with five scores in 2015.
Jones was a three-year starter at Mandeville High School (La.) and rushed for 1,767 yards and 22 touchdowns, while hauling in 31 passes for 321 yards during his senior campaign.
ABOUT BARRICK NEALY
Nealy has spent the last two years at UTEP as Director of Player Development & High School Relations (2018-19) and Recruiting Coordinator/Senior Player Personnel Director (2019-20). He’ll hit the field as Running Backs Coach this spring, while continuing to serve as Recruiting Coordinator.
He received his first coaching opportunity at San Marcos Academy from 2011-17, where he mentored San Marcos High School quarterback and former University of Texas shortstop David Hamilton. He also worked with San Marcos quarterback Prudencio Calderon, who led the 2017 Rattlers to their first district title in 14 years. Calderon currently plays at Rice.
Nealy played quarterback for coach Dimel in four games at Houston in 2002 before transferring to Texas State. Nealy threw for 7,206 yards and 52 touchdowns in 35 starts (2003-05) with the Bobcats. Under then-offensive coordinator and current Texas head coach Tom Herman, Nealy earned 2005 Southland Conference Player of the Year honors after passing for 21 scores and leading his squad to a SLC Championship.
Following his successful 2005 campaign, Nealy signed a free agent contract with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings and was a wide receiver in 2006. Later that year, Nealy inked a contract with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, where he played quarterback for five seasons (2006-10).
Nealy earned his Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree from Texas State in 2017. He and his wife, Tiffany, have two sons, Sir Isaac and Isaiah, and a daughter, Sage.
ABOUT TREVIN WADE
Wade comes to El Paso after being active for six seasons on an NFL roster. Wade appeared in 47 games for four teams (Cleveland, New Orleans, Detroit, New York Giants) from 2012-16, and tallied 95 tackles (79 solo/16 assist), 11 pass breakups, three tackles for losses, four fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He started five games for the Giants and appeared in a combined three playoff games for New Orleans (2013 season) and New York (2016 season).
Wade was chosen by Cleveland in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Following his playing days, Wade has worked on various projects, including serving as a defensive drill coordinator for the Prince Amukamara Football Camp and a varsity basketball assistant coach at Dobson High School in Mesa, Arizona.
Wade has also volunteered for a variety of non-profit organizations including his own Trevin Wade Foundation, as well as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Athletes in Action.
Wade was a three-year starter for the Arizona Wildcats and a two-time All-Pac 12 selection. The Round Rock, Texas, native registered 182 career tackles for Arizona with 12 interceptions and a pair of touchdowns.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Arizona in 2011, Wade completed his master’s degree in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon in 2016. He and his wife, Courtney, have three children – Maverick, Savannah and Zoey.
ABOUT KEITH BURNS
Burns enters his third season with the UTEP Football program and his first as the Director of Recruiting and Director of Player Personnel. Burns spent the past two seasons coaching the UTEP secondary and safeties, while he has accumulated more than 30 years of collegiate coaching experience.
The former head coach at Tulsa (2000-02), Burns has also had collegiate coaching stops at Pacific (Defensive Coordinator 1985-88), Rice (Defensive Pass Coordinator/Special Teams 1989-92), USC (Secondary 1993 & Defensive Coordinator 1994-97), Arkansas (Defensive Coordinator 1988-99), San Jose State (Defensive Coordinator 2004-09), Kansas State (Secondary 2010) and Ole Miss (Secondary 2011). He was a Special Teams Assistant for the Oakland Raiders from 2012-13, and entered the prep ranks at Archbishop Mitty High School from 2014-17. His high school tenure included stints as defensive coordinator in 2014 and head coach from 2015-17.
In 1998 Burns was a finalist for the Broyles Award, presented to the best assistant coach in college football.
Burns and his wife, Yvonne, have three sons – K.C., Tanner and Davis. A decorated athlete out of Coronado High School, Davis is a member of the Miners’ 2020 Recruiting Class and will join the program for the upcoming season.
The Miners will kick off the 2020 season by hosting the Red Raiders of Texas Tech on Saturday, Sept. 5 at the Sun Bowl in El Paso.
For complete coverage of UTEP Football, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPFB (Twitter/Instagram) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics.
