Ricky Brumfield

Ricky Brumfield is in his fourth season at Virginia after joining Bronco Mendenhall’s staff in January of 2018 as the program’s special teams coordinator.  In February of 2021, Mendenhall announced Brumfield would also serve as the cornerbacks coach after serving as the tight ends coach for the 2020 season.

Brumfield, who enters his 21st season as a collegiate coach in 2021, has consistently overseen record-breaking performances at the FBS, FCS and DII levels, while also boasting pupils that have have been named semifinalists for coveted honors like the Lou Groza Award and the Ray Guy Award. The 2019 season was the most recent season serving of record-breaking performances as the Cavaliers won the ACC Coastal Division title and made their first appearance in the Orange Bowl.

In addition to his special coordinator duties, Brumfield started coaching tight ends in 2020. Brumfield was able to work one season with graduate transfer Tony Poljan. Under Brumfield, Poljan in just 10 games finished No. 7 in the nation among tight ends with 38 receptions, No. 7 in the nation among tight ends with six touchdown receptions and his six receiving touchdowns is tied for No. 2 on UVA’s single-season list for a tight end. Poljan’s season resulted in an invite to the Senior Bowl.

The 2019 team broke the single-season record for both kick return yards (1,204) and kick return average (28.7). Heading the attack on the record book was Joe Reed, who was named to a myriad of All-America teams in 2019 as a kick returner. First-team nods by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America highlighted those All-America accolades. Reed also won the Jet Award in 2019 as the nation’s top kick returner after leading the nation in kick return average at 33.2. Reed also led the nation in 2019 with two kick returns for touchdowns and left UVA No. 1 in program history with 3,042 career kick return yards, which makes him one of 10 players in FBS history with 3,000+ kick return yards. Reed also left UVA with a career 28.69 career kick return average, which ranks No. 22 all-time at the FBS level. Reed is the only player in FBS history with 2,700+ career kick return yards and a kick return average of 28+ yards.

Also in 2019, All-ACC placekicker Brian Delaney broke the UVA single-season record for points kicking (110), which also ranked No. 13 in the nation. His 52 PATs also broke a single-season UVA record. Overall, Delaney’s 110 points in 2019 ranked No. 3 on the UVA single-season scoring list.

In Brumfield’s first season at UVA his punt return defense finished No. 1 in the ACC and No. 7 in the nation with 3.21 yards allowed per return after he inherited a group that finished No. 117 in the nation the year prior (2017). On kick return Reed finished No. 10 in the nation and No. 2 in the ACC with 27.2 yards per kick return. Reed also became the UVA all-time career leader in kick return yardage, breaking the record in less than three seasons.

Brumfield comes to UVA after spending the 2016 and 2017 seasons at the University of Texas at San Antonio where he was the Roadrunners’ special teams coordinator and coached the team’s tight ends.

In 2016, his first season with the Roadrunners, Brumfield helped guide the team to six wins and the program’s first-ever bowl game, the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl. His special teams set several school records, including season marks for touchbacks (27), points (79), extra points (43) and punting average (42.0).

This season, Brumfield saw freshman placekicker Jared Sackett earn freshman All-America honors from USA Today. Sackett made a UTSA school-record 19 field goals on 22 attempts. He also set the school mark with 80 points. Sackett was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award presented to the nation’s top placekicker.

UTSA punter Yannis Routsas was a semifinalist for the 2017 Ray Guy Award presented to the nation’s top punter. UTSA was one of just three schools in 2017 to have both its placekicker and punter as semifinalists for those two national awards.

During the 2017 season, the Roadrunners went 6-5 with four of those losses coming by a total of 17 points. In the current NCAA FBS football statistics, UTSA ranks No. 6 in the nation in punt return defense. This season the Roadrunners allowed just eight punt returns for a total of 23 yards (2.88 ypr.). UTSA was No. 39 in the nation in kickoff defense by allowing 19.61 yards per return.

His Roadrunner special teams forced five fumbles during the 2016 season and two in 2017.

Brumfield came to UTSA from Western Kentucky, where he spent three seasons as special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach. He helped the Hilltoppers to a combined 28 victories, including a pair of bowl wins, during his tenure.

In 2015, WKU won the Conference USA title and capped off a 12-2 season with a 45-35 victory against USF in the Miami Beach Bowl, while finishing the season with a No. 24 final ranking. Garrett Schwettman, the school’s career record holder for points, extra points and field goals, earned first-team all-conference honors, while kick returner Kylen Towner made the second team and cornerback Prince Charles Iworah and long snapper Nolan Dowling were named honorable mention.

In his first two seasons with the Hilltoppers, the defense and special teams were among the conference’s best in nearly every major statistical category. He tutored five all-conference performers, including cornerbacks Wonderful Terry and Cam Thomas, who played for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills in 2015.

In 2013, WKU led the Sun Belt Conference and finished 14th nationally in total defense, while also leading the league in interceptions (14), team pass efficiency defense and fewest passing yards allowed. Additionally, his kick and punt coverage units were tops in the conference.

Brumfield was the special teams coordinator and safeties coach at Nicholls State, in 2011-12. His impact on the Colonels’ special teams was felt immediately, as they blocked six kicks and ranked 14th in the Football Championship Subdivision in kick return average, while punter Cory Kemps finished sixth nationally with a 42.8 average in 2011.

While at Nicholls State, Brumfield oversaw Chika Madu who left the school as the all-time program leader in kick return yards (2,076) and ranked No. 2 in the Southland Conference record book. Madu also ranks No. 2 in the conference record book in kick return touchdowns and No. 4 in kick return average (24.14).

Brumfield and Justin Anderson, UVA’s director of player personnel, were both assistant coaches at Nichols State during the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

The New Orleans native got his coaching start in 2001 at Union College, where he oversaw special teams and wide receivers for three seasons.

Brumfield served as special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach at Fairmont State in 2004-10. He helped the Fighting Falcons rank among the nation’s best in special teams categories by the end of his tenure, including the third-best kick return average in 2009.

In his final season with the Fighting Falcons, his special teams units blocked five kicks, forced two turnovers and had a pair of touchdowns. Three of his players earned all-conference accolades, including kick returner Zack Page, who set Division II career records for kick returns, kick return yardage and combined return yards. One of his receivers, Perry Baker, was one of a handful non-Division I players to be selected to play in the 2010 East-West Shrine Game. Baker went on to become of the premier rugby players in the world. Baker is an Olympian for the USA Sevens team and was a two-time World Rugby MVP (2017 and 2018).

During his time at Fairmont State, Brumfield spent five summers assisting with various NFL teams. He tutored wide receivers and special teams with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007-09 and also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers.

Brumfield was a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter at wide receiver at Utah State. He helped the Aggies to a pair of Big West Conference Championships and a berth in the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl.

Brumfield earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Utah State in 1999 and his master’s degree in secondary education from Union College (Ky.) in 2003.

He and his wife, Erin, have four children, Kyan, McKel, Tacy and Asher.