He was a hero in high school, a national champion at the University of Alabama, and now he’s been granted another opportunity in the coaching profession.
According to The News Enterprise, a media company based in Kentucky, Brandon Deaderick was hired to East Mississippi Community College on Monday as a defensive line coach.
A native of Elizabethtown, Ky., Deaderick was larger than life at Elizabethtown High School with 95 tackles – including 22 sacks – during his junior year in 2003. He was a two-time honoree for second-team All-State defensive lineman, and the Panthers went 30-10 in his three seasons.
Deaderick guided the team to its first Class 2-A state title game in 24 years in 2003.
He came to Alabama in 2005 under Mike Shula and according to former teammate, Chris Rogers, Deaderick told the freshmen class it would not leave the program without three national championships. His statement was nearly prophetic, as the Tide almost had a national title run during his redshirt year in 2005.
Deaderick would total 60 tackles and six sacks over the next 34 games (three years) at defensive end.
Although he didn’t get the three championships, Deaderick was on Alabama’s lone undefeated roster of the Nick Saban era in the 2009 season.
He played in all 14 games – recording 23 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack – and helped the Tide capture a Southeastern Conference title and a BCS National Championship. Deaderick played seven years in the National Football League (2010-16) with the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills.
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He took the field for the Patriots in the 2012 Super Bowl matchup (2011 season) versus the New York Giants, but the team suffered a 21-17 loss.
After retiring from the league, he spent the last two years as a defensive quality control coach under Jeremy Pruitt at the University of Tennessee. The Volunteers allowed 21.7 points per game and regardless of a 1-4 start in 2019, Deaderick assisted greatly in turning the season around. He pushed the defense to 34 sacks and 15 interceptions, as the Vols won seven of its final eight games to finish the campaign at 8-5.
In learning from Shula, Saban, Bill Belichick and Pruitt, Deaderick has the makings of being a great head coach in the future.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
