Football
Michalowski, Brian
Brian Michalowski
- Title:
- Inside Linebackers
After serving as a defensive analyst for the Ducks in 2023, Brian Michalowski was promoted to the role of inside linebackers coach at Oregon on Jan. 31, 2024.
With Michalowski on staff in 2023, the Ducks went 12-2 while boasting one of the most improved defenses in the country, ranking ninth nationally in scoring defense (16.5 PPG), 11th in rushing defense (102.57 YPG) and 22nd in total defense (318.4 YPG) while also leading the Pac-12 in passing defense (215.9 YPG). Oregon was one of just three teams in the nation (Michigan, Ohio State) to hold opponents to 10 points or less at least seven times.
"We are excited to elevate Brian to a full-time coaching role on our staff," Lanning said. "I have a great relationship with Coach Michalowski having worked with him previously, and he has done a tremendous job since arriving in Eugene. He is one of the brightest defensive minds in college football and a terrific teacher of the game, and he does a phenomenal job of connecting with our student-athletes. We are thrilled to have Coach Michalowski here as we continue to elevate our program and build a championship culture."
Michalowski joined the Ducks in 2023 after spending the 2022 season as a defensive quality control analyst at Oregon State. He was previously the outside linebackers coach at Colorado from 2019-22, and he worked with Lanning at Georgia as a defensive quality control analyst in 2018 and at Memphis as a graduate assistant in 2016-17. He was also a graduate assistant at Arizona State alongside Lanning in 2012.
"I am extremely appreciative of Coach Lanning for this opportunity," Michalowski said. "The past year in Eugene has been a tremendous experience for me and my family, and I am so excited for the future as we continue along the path that Coach Lanning has created. Oregon is one of the truly elite programs in all of college football and I can't wait to work with our student-athletes as we prepare for the upcoming season."
A 2011 graduate from Arizona State, Michalowski was a student assistant for the Sun Devils for four years before getting his full-time start in 2011 as a defensive quality control analyst at his alma mater. He then transitioned to a defensive graduate assistant at ASU in 2012, helping the Sun Devils go 8-4 with a win over Navy in the Kraft Hunger bowl.
Michalowski joined Wyoming in 2013 as a defensive graduate assistant, before going overseas to serve as the defensive coordinator for the Cologne Falcons in the German Football League. He helped the club improve from a 2-12 record to an 8-6 mark, earning the team’s first-ever playoff victory and a trip to the semifinalist. Cologne improved in every defensive category under Michalowski, ranking third in the GFL in pass defense and turnover margin, fourth in interceptions, and sixth in total defense and scoring defense.
Following a year in Germany, Michalowski spent 2015 as the defensive coordinator at Garden City Community College before going to Memphis, where Lanning was the inside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. Michalowski worked as a defensive graduate assistant for the Tigers with the outside linebackers, helping Memphis to 18 total wins and a top-10 ranking in takeaways in both 2016 and 2017.
Michalowski joined Lanning at Georgia in 2018, working with the outside linebackers as a quality control analyst. The Bulldogs went 11-3 and were ranked 13th nationally in total defense, winning the SEC East division title and earning a spot in the AllState Sugar Bowl.
A native of Scottsdale, Ariz., Michalowski went to Colorado in 2019 as the director of quality control for the defense before quickly being promoted to outside linebackers coach. In 2020, Michalowski helped Carson Wells earn second-team all-Pac-12 honors while leading the nation in tackles for loss per game (2.67).
Michalowski and his wife, Kristin, have two children, Matthew and Sophie.
With Michalowski on staff in 2023, the Ducks went 12-2 while boasting one of the most improved defenses in the country, ranking ninth nationally in scoring defense (16.5 PPG), 11th in rushing defense (102.57 YPG) and 22nd in total defense (318.4 YPG) while also leading the Pac-12 in passing defense (215.9 YPG). Oregon was one of just three teams in the nation (Michigan, Ohio State) to hold opponents to 10 points or less at least seven times.
"We are excited to elevate Brian to a full-time coaching role on our staff," Lanning said. "I have a great relationship with Coach Michalowski having worked with him previously, and he has done a tremendous job since arriving in Eugene. He is one of the brightest defensive minds in college football and a terrific teacher of the game, and he does a phenomenal job of connecting with our student-athletes. We are thrilled to have Coach Michalowski here as we continue to elevate our program and build a championship culture."
Michalowski joined the Ducks in 2023 after spending the 2022 season as a defensive quality control analyst at Oregon State. He was previously the outside linebackers coach at Colorado from 2019-22, and he worked with Lanning at Georgia as a defensive quality control analyst in 2018 and at Memphis as a graduate assistant in 2016-17. He was also a graduate assistant at Arizona State alongside Lanning in 2012.
"I am extremely appreciative of Coach Lanning for this opportunity," Michalowski said. "The past year in Eugene has been a tremendous experience for me and my family, and I am so excited for the future as we continue along the path that Coach Lanning has created. Oregon is one of the truly elite programs in all of college football and I can't wait to work with our student-athletes as we prepare for the upcoming season."
A 2011 graduate from Arizona State, Michalowski was a student assistant for the Sun Devils for four years before getting his full-time start in 2011 as a defensive quality control analyst at his alma mater. He then transitioned to a defensive graduate assistant at ASU in 2012, helping the Sun Devils go 8-4 with a win over Navy in the Kraft Hunger bowl.
Michalowski joined Wyoming in 2013 as a defensive graduate assistant, before going overseas to serve as the defensive coordinator for the Cologne Falcons in the German Football League. He helped the club improve from a 2-12 record to an 8-6 mark, earning the team’s first-ever playoff victory and a trip to the semifinalist. Cologne improved in every defensive category under Michalowski, ranking third in the GFL in pass defense and turnover margin, fourth in interceptions, and sixth in total defense and scoring defense.
Following a year in Germany, Michalowski spent 2015 as the defensive coordinator at Garden City Community College before going to Memphis, where Lanning was the inside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. Michalowski worked as a defensive graduate assistant for the Tigers with the outside linebackers, helping Memphis to 18 total wins and a top-10 ranking in takeaways in both 2016 and 2017.
Michalowski joined Lanning at Georgia in 2018, working with the outside linebackers as a quality control analyst. The Bulldogs went 11-3 and were ranked 13th nationally in total defense, winning the SEC East division title and earning a spot in the AllState Sugar Bowl.
A native of Scottsdale, Ariz., Michalowski went to Colorado in 2019 as the director of quality control for the defense before quickly being promoted to outside linebackers coach. In 2020, Michalowski helped Carson Wells earn second-team all-Pac-12 honors while leading the nation in tackles for loss per game (2.67).
Michalowski and his wife, Kristin, have two children, Matthew and Sophie.
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