San Diego Athletics

Brandon Moore, the 2022 AFCA DII National Coach of the Year, was named the 14th head coach of the University of San Diego football team on April 19, 2023. He will enter his third season leading the Toreros in 2025.

The Toreros returned to their winning ways in his second year at the helm in San Diego (2024), finishing with an 8-3 overall record, a 6-0 record at home, and a 6-2 record in Pioneer Football League action. It marked the program's first time with six home wins in the same season since going a perfect 6-0 across the 2015 season and the first time USD had won six straight at home since winning the last four at home in 2021 and first two of the 2022 season.

USD finished alone in second in the Pioneer Football League in 2024, and made headlines with its suffocating defense. Despite having two bye weeks and only ten games played, the Toreros' six total defensive touchdowns in 2024 were tied for the most defensive TDs in D-I (FCS/FBS) football, and his team's four pick-sixes were tied for the most in all of FCS.

In the Toreros' first 2-0 start in a non-shortened season in 13 years, his defensive unit scored as many touchdowns as it had surrendered in the first two games in 2024; two in week one vs. Cal Poly and one in week two vs. Central Washington.

Under Moore's guidance, the Toreros swept the 2024 PFL Offensive and Defensive player of the Year awards as defensive back Eric Haney and wide receiver Ja'seem Reed were pinned as the conference's best. Linebacker Giovanni Iovino was also picked as First Team All-Conference, joining five Toreros on the second team and 11 USD players that were recognized as All-PFL Honorable Mentions.

After the season, Reed signed with the NFL's Carolina Panthers and Haney inked a contract with the CFL's Hamilton Tigercats, becoming the latest Toreros to advance to the professional football ranks under Moore.

Moore made history in his first season as head coach of Colorado School of Mines, leading the Orediggers to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship Game. He's no stranger to national success, winning the National Championship in 2001 as a linebacker at Oklahoma. Moore then spent seven years in the NFL, including six with the San Francisco 49ers, appearing in 90 games and making 249 career tackles.
 
After being elevated to head coach before the 2022 season, Moore wasted no time making his mark, earning AFCA National, AFCA Regional, NFFCC Colorado, and RMAC Coach of the Year honors. He spent six years on the Oredigger staff before the promotion, building the defense into one of the nation's top units. With Moore in charge last season, Mines led the nation in sacks per game, turnovers forced, fumbles recovered, scoring offense, red zone offense, first downs, and team passing efficiency.
 
"Our family is extremely excited about this new chapter in our lives," said Moore. "We are looking forward to this new challenge and opportunity to be a part of the winning tradition at the University of San Diego. The university's commitment to academic success, the stunning campus, and the decades-long athletic department success presents an ideal place to call home. I'm grateful to the long list of USD players, coaches, and staff that have built the football program into national prominence and look forward to continuing the climb. We can't wait to get started."  
 
The Orediggers won 13 consecutive games last season to get to the national championship en route to their fourth consecutive RMAC title. The team set a program record for wins (13) and produced the third undefeated conference season (9-0) in the modern era.
 
Moore began his coaching career as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona in 2012. After Colorado School of Mines hired him as linebackers coach in 2016, Moore directed the effort to make the Orediggers' defense one of the nation's elite. He was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2018, then took over as the sole defensive coordinator a year later after leading the country in third down defense. Moore's defenses consistently ranked among the best in the NCAA, including a 2021 win over Bemidji State in the second round of the NCAA playoffs in which the unit did not allow a score. 
 
He helped guide Mines to five RMAC championships (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022) and coached 64 All-RMAC players during his tenure. Moore's players earned various prominent accolades include 2017 NFFCC Defensive Player of the Year Dean Wenger, 2019 All-American Jimmy Bauer, 2021 RMAC Academic Defensive Player of the Year Nolan Reeve, and 2022 RMAC Offensive Player of the Year John Matocha. The Orediggers totaled a 61-14 overall record since he joined the staff in 2016.
 
The Baldwin, NY native was a four-year letterwinner and 2001 national championship winner with Oklahoma at linebacker, playing under Bob Stoops and then-defensive coordinator and now-head coach Brent Venables. Moore went on to an extensive pro career that included six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers from 2002 to 2007, and played with the San Diego Chargers in 2010 after a stint in the United Football League. In addition to his time in collegiate coaching, he served two NFL Minority Internships with the Chargers in 2018 and the Tennessee Titans in 2019.

Moore and his wife, Sheree, have four children: Stephon, Tre, Arriana, and Kash. His older brother, Rob Moore, is also an NFL veteran and is the current wide receivers coach with the Titans. Moore holds a degree in psychology from the University of Oklahoma.