USM Announces Sean Coughlin and Brandon Deaderick as Assistant Coaches

Story from USM:
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss football coach Charles Huff announced Thursday the addition of Sean Coughlin and Brandon Deaderick to complete his full-time coaching staff for the 2025 season.

Coughlin is slated to work with the offensive line and Deaderick will work with the defensive line.

Coughlin joins the Southern Miss staff after spending the last four seasons at Eastern Michigan as the program’s Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach/Co-Offensive Run Game Coordinator.

Coughlin holds 24 years of coaching experience in the college ranks, having coached the offensive line at both the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) ranks.

Prior to his arrival in Ypsilanti,  Coughlin spent  two years with Arkansas State University as the offensive line coach and Run Game Coordinator. In two seasons with the Red Wolves, A-State posted highlight wins over FIU in the 2019 Camellia Bowl as well as a 35-31 upset of Kansas State in 2020.

In 2020, the Red Wolves led the Sun Belt Conference and ranked 14th nationally in total offense at 489.7 yards per game. As for passing offense, Arkansas State led the Sun Belt and ranked third in the nation at 364.4 yards per game. In 2019, Arkansas State put up impressive numbers behind Coughlin’s offensive line, ranking No. 10 in the country in passing offense (312.1 ypg), No. 14 in team passing efficiency (157.55), No. 26 in scoring offense (33.7 ppg), and No. 33 in both total offense (439.3 ypg) and red zone offense (.889).

The Red Wolves posted 5,711 yards of total offense for the sixth-most in school history, while their 6.2 yards-per-play average tied the second best mark ever by an A-State team.  The squad completed the year with top-10 marks in program history in 12 different statistical categories, including most points (438, 7th) and most touchdowns (54, 6th).
Coughlin arrived in Jonesboro, Ark. after spending the previous 13 seasons at Missouri State.  He was elevated to associate head coach for the 2018 campaign and served as the Bears’ co-offensive coordinator since 2016.

Coughlin also oversaw the offensive line since 2008 after previously serving as the tight ends and fullbacks coach his first two years with the program. During his tenure, Coughlin’s linemen earned Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) Offensive Lineman of the Week honors 14 times, with 13 all-conference selections and five NFL players.

The 2001 Drake University graduate was a standout offensive lineman from his playing days. A three-time All-Pioneer Conference offensive guard for the Bulldogs, he was a first-team all-conference choice from 1998-2000 and earned All-America honors from Football Gazette his final two seasons. He was team captain in 2000.

Coughlin coached three seasons (2001-03) at his alma mater, working with the offensive line and tight ends for the Bulldogs while mentoring two all-conference first team linemen.

He joined the Iowa State offensive staff in 2004 and spent two seasons there while pursuing his master’s in higher education (2006).

The Kildeer, Ill., native earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Drake in 2001. 

He and his wife, Haley, have daughters, Maddie and Natalia.

Deaderick starts his role for the Golden Eagles after working the last two seasons (2023-24) as an analyst at Ole Miss. Prior to that he oversaw the defensive line at East Mississippi Community College for three seasons (2020-22).

Before his time at EMCC, Deaderick worked at Tennessee for two seasons.

During Deaderick’s time at Tennessee, the Vols showed significant improvement on the field. After just missing out on a bowl game in 2018, UT staged one of the most impressive in-season turnarounds in college football during the 2019 season. After starting the year 2-5, UT won its final five regular-season games before posting a dramatic comeback victory over Indiana in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

Tennessee’s defense played a major role in turnaround, holding opponents to only 14.4 points per contest in the final five games of the year, which was tops in the SEC during that stretch. 

Prior to entering the collegiate coaching ranks, Deaderick spent seven years in the National Football League, including three seasons with the New England Patriots (2010-12), who drafted him in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. In 2011, Deaderick started at defensive end for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

Deaderick also saw action in the regular season for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2013) and the New Orleans Saints (2014). For his career, Deaderick played in 60 games and made 17 starts while totaling 62 tackles, six tackles for loss, 5.5. sacks and three forced fumbles.

Deaderick played collegiately at the University of Alabama (2005-09), where he was a part of the Crimson Tide’s undefeated 2010 BCS National Championship team. During his final three years at Alabama, Deaderick was coached by Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt’s mentor Nick Saban. Pruitt was also a part of the staff during those three seasons as the Director of Player Development.

He signed with the Crimson Tide after a standout prep career at Elizabethtown High School in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. As a junior in 2003, Deaderick racked up 95 tackles and 22 sacks, earning all-state honors while leading the Panthers to their first state championship game in 24 years.

Deaderick, and wife, Laura, have a son named August.