Louisville Wide Receivers Coach Deion Branch during practice outside the Trager Center in Louisville, Ky. on Mar. 1, 2025. Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Deion Branch Adjusting Well to New Role as Louisville's Wide Receivers Coach

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated Apr 3, 2025 10:55 AM ET

All across college football, spring practice is a time where programs not only start laying the groundwork for the upcoming season, but also where they have to adjust to a lot of new faces on both the playing roster and the coaching staff. Louisville is no exception.

The Cardinals have welcomed 20 transfer additions to the roster so far this offseason, with all of them joining in time for spring ball. Additionally, 11 of Louisville's 16 high school commitments in the Class of 2025 are early enrollees, meaning that 31 fresh faces are currently on campus adjusting to their new home.

These players aren't the only ones that are having to adjust to a different role.

After back-to-back years with the same staff, head coach Jeff Brohm had to make his first assistant coach hire since returning to his alma mater, with wide receivers coach Garrick McGee taking the same position at North Carolina.

However, Brohm didn't have to look far to make the hire. He went in-house with his hire, elevating Director of Player Development & Alumni Relations and former Cardinals wideout Deion Branch to the role.

It's a wildly different type of position for Branch, going from a support staff role to his first on-field coaching gig at the college level. That being said, since getting officially elevated back in February, Branch has adjusted well to his new job.

"It's going pretty good," Branch said earlier this week. "Super fast tempo, the pace is going. But I'm truly enjoying every opportunity with these young men, taking everything in, just seeing things from a different side, on the coach's side I get to put my hat on, instead of being a player for many years. Then also being the player development guy, and being just around the guys and kind of speaking to them about the game. Now, I actually have to inject myself (into the mix)."

Branch isn't joking about the shift in pace. While he still had a lot on his plate in his old role, the day-to-day activities weren't nearly as hectic and fast paced. Additionally, the Director of Player Development component had him dealing with the entire team essentially as a liaison.

While Branch is now limited to dealing with a single position group, the every day hustle and bustle is cranked up to 11. There are position meetings and practices nearly every day, not to mention the recruiting aspect of it. Plus, now that he's a coach, Branch actually has to learn the playbook himself, and not just the players he used to mentor in his old role.

"I'm perfectly fine with it, but every day is like 50 plays, and coach Brohm not taking no days off," he said. "Every day we're going, we're going, and it's full speed ahead. But that's just part of it. I love that I get to the point where I have to put my cap back on as a player now, and now I'm thinking. I gotta think as a coach: 'How can I deliver this message to the guys where they understand it, as far as how Coach Brown wants it, or the quarterback?'"

But if there's anyone who can make the transition to the everyday grind of collegiate coaching, it's Branch. Mainly because he already went through the daily grind as a player at various levels.

Despite only playing for two seasons with the Cardinals, Branch is one of the top receivers in Louisville history. From 2000-01 as a JUCO transfer from Jones Country, he amassed 143 receptions for 2,204 yards and 18 receiving touchdowns. In terms of program history, the receptions total is seventh all-time, the yardage is ninth, and the touchdowns are fourth. His No. 9 jersey is one of Louisville's honored jerseys.

Branch then went on to have a successful 12-year career in the National Football League, playing seven seasons with the New England Patriots and five with the Seattle Seahawks. He totaled 518 receptions for 6,644 yards and 39 touchdowns in 12 seasons.

He played in two Super Bowls with the Patriots, totaling 21 receptions. After an 11-catch/133-yard performance in Super Bowl XXXIX against the Eagles, Branch was named Super Bowl MVP.

It also helps that the group he is coaching just so happens to have two of the better players at the position in the ACC.

Chris Bell is coming off of his best season in college yet, totaling 42 receptions for 737 yards and four touchdowns, all of which were second on the team to NFL Draft hopeful Ja'Corey Brooks. Despite missing most of the season due to a broken collarbone, Caullin Lacy was still able catch 18 passes for 196 yards and a score.

"They're pros, and I love it," Branch said of Bell and Lacy. "Those two young men come to work each and every day, and they bust their tails on the football field. I'm super pleased with what they're doing, and the outcome.

On top of that, the competition in the rest of the room throughout the spring has been good. Antonio Meeks has taken steps forward this spring, fellow returner Kris Hughes has shown flashes, as have transfer newcomers Bobby Golden and T.J. McWilliams.

"I'm always telling all the guys, if we got 12 guys in the room, the guy that's number 12, you need to be pushing to be No. 11, and get to 10, and then get to five, get to two. Whoever's number five, you need to be pushing the guys that's ahead of you. That's your approach each and every day.

"It's all about a healthy competition: iron sharpens iron. That's the most important piece. Anybody that's behind Chris and Caullin, they need to fighting to get on the field."