Football

Sumlin hires NFL assistant as new defensive coordinator

After a dismal performance on defense in 2009, UH head football coach Kevin Sumlin dismissed defensive coordinator John Skladany in the offseason and went in search of a replacement with top-notch experience.

He appears to have found his man.

Sumlin announced Monday that he had hired Philadelphia Eagles special assistant Brian Stewart to be the Cougars’ new defensive coordinator.

Stewart, who was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Houston Texans from 2002-03, was the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for two seasons before joining the Eagles. He was the San Diego Chargers’ secondary coach from 2004-06.

Stewart’s collegiate experience includes stops as an assistant at Cal Poly (1993-94), Northern Arizona (1995), Missouri (1996, 1999-2000), San Jose State (1997-98) and Syracuse (2001).

“His prior experience as defensive coordinator in the NFL and as a position coach at the collegiate level is exactly what we were looking for to elevate our defense to the next level,” Sumlin said in a release.

Stewart anticipates that a successful stint at UH will help him to move further up the coaching ranks.

“I would like to be a head coach some day, so being a successful coordinator in a successful program in a large city like Houston will put me in line to do so,” Stewart said in a release.

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