Newly selected Nebraska Wesleyan (D-III) head coach Jacob Donohoe is making a splash with his first hire with the Prairie Wolves.

To fill his defensive coordinator spot, Donohoe has tabbed Brandon “Bear” Earp as his new defensive coordinator.

At just 22 years old, Earp will be perhaps the youngest coordinator in college football, at any level.

The two previously worked together at Tyler Junior College (JC – TX), where Donohoe saw a number of traits that set the young coach apart.

“I am excited for Brandon ‘Bear’ Earp to join the coaching staff as defensive coordinator here at Nebraska Wesleyan University,” Donohoe shared in the school’s release on the hire. “I spent time with him at Tyler Junior College and look forward to working with him again. Bear’s intelligence and passion for the game of football are just a couple of the many things that set him apart. I can’t wait for him to lead the Prairie Wolves defense.”

Last season, working as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Truman State, he helped the Bulldogs reach the Division II playoffs for the first time in over three decades. In addition to developing two first-team All-GLVC performers at linebacker and kick returner, his kickoff return unit and punt coverage unit were the best in the conference.

In two seasons at Tyler Junior College, Earp gained experience working as linebackers coach and assistant special teams coordinator while also carrying the duties of director of football operations. The program would win their first regular season conference title since 1986 while leading the nation in sacks and also produced the NJCAA Defensive player of the year and had multiple Division I signees at linebacker.

Donohoe and Earp face the tall task of turning around a program that went 1-9 last season, and defensively they gave up more than 30 points in six of those losses, while giving up more than 60 points in one of those losses. On the slightly more positive side, four of those losses came by a single score or less.

The school’s release on Earp notes his “energy, attention to detail and ability to connect with student athletes,” and that he will bring a “modern defensive approach and proven-player development background” to the Prairie Wolves program as they usher in the new Donohoe era together.

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest in coaching news and information.