Ricky Brumfield leads the Panthers' special teams units as the special teams coordinator, while also serving as assistant head coach and coaching FIU's outside linebackers. He joined Coach Mike MacIntyre’s staff in 2022.
Brumfield arrived in South Florida following a four-year stint as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at the University of Virginia under head coach Bronco Mendenhall. He boasts over 22 years of collegiate coaching experience and has consistently overseen record-breaking performances at all levels of college football.
Brumfield has coached pupils that have been named semifinalists for coveted honors like the Lou Groza Award and the Ray Guy Award and his 2019 UVA squad broke the single-season record for both kick return yards (1,204) and kick return average (28.7).
Also, tutored Joe Reed at Virginia who won the Jet Award in 2019 as the nation's top kick returner. 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. During the 2021 season Virginia finished seventh nationally in special teams efficiency.
In Brumfield’s first season (2018) 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).
Prior to his time in Charlottesville, Brumfield was the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at UTSA where he helped lead the Roadrunners to their first-ever bowl appearance in 2016. UTSA's special teams set several records that season including points (79) and punting average (42.0).
Under Brumfield's watch UTSA was one of just three programs in 2017 to have both their punter and place kicker listed on both the Ray Guy and Lou Groza Award semifinalist lists.
During his first season with the Roadrunners in 2016, Brumfield helped guide the team to six wins and the program’s first-ever bowl game, the 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).
In 2017, 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.
Brumfield also spent two seasons at Western Kentucky where he aided the Hilltoppers to a pair of bowl wins and a Conference USA Championship as the special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach.
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.
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 also had coaching stints at Nicholls State, Fairmont State and Union College.
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.
As a player, 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.
BRUMFIELD COACHING FILE
| 2022-present |
FIU |
Special Team Coordinator/Associate Head Coach (OLB) |
| 2019-21 |
Virginia |
Special Teams Coordinator/Cornerbacks |
| 2020 |
Virginia |
Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends |
| 2018-19 |
Virginia |
Special Teams Coordinator |
| 2016-17 |
UTSA |
Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends |
| 2013-15 |
Western Kentucky |
Special Teams Coordinator/cornerbacks |
| 2011-12 |
Nicholls State |
Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2004-10 |
Fairmont State |
Special Teams Coordinator/Wide Receivers |
| 2001-03 |
Union College |
Special Teams Coordinator/Wide Receivers |
