Troy Football Makes Pair of Staff Announcements

TROY, Ala. – Troy football head coach Chip Lindsey made a pair of staff announcements Monday with the promotion of Dayne Brown to special teams coordinator and tight ends coach and the addition of Caleb Ross as director of player personnel and high school relations.

Dayne Brown
Dayne Brown joined the Troy staff in 2019 and has served as the Trojans' director of recruiting the last two seasons following one year at Kansas where he was a special teams analyst and the assistant director of recruiting.

"Dayne has done a tremendous job with our recruiting the last two seasons and the proof is in the high-character, high-ability 'Troy Kinda Guys' that we have added to our program," Lindsey said. "He has a great background in special teams and has a great analytical mind when it comes to breaking down opponents and finding potential weaknesses in their coverage and kick units. Dayne has an infectious personality and will transition nicely into this new role."

During his run as Troy's head of the recruiting department, the Trojans signed the top two classes in program history per 247Sports' composite ranking system.

"My family and I are extremely excited about the opportunity to be special teams coordinator and coach the tight ends at Troy," Brown said. "We are extremely grateful to Coach Lindsey for blessing our family with this tremendous opportunity, and I will work tirelessly to make a positive impact on the young men in this program."

Troy's most recent class finished with an average rating of .8207 per 247Sports, almost a half point higher than the 2020 class. The ranking also did not include a four-star and two three-star transfers from Power 5 programs.

In his first year with the Trojans, Troy signed one of the top recruiting classes in program history as the Trojans welcomed the second-ranked class in the Sun Belt and the second-highest rated class in school history according to 247Sports. Troy added 17 three-star players in the class including several ranked near the top 100 in their position nationally.

Brown, who has been in a number of roles at both the collegiate and high school levels, joined the Kansas staff following two seasons at Kent State where he was the director of football operations. Prior to his time at Kent State, Brown served as director of recruiting and player development at Southern Miss from 2013-15 where Lindsey was the offensive coordinator for the final two seasons of his tenure.

The Southern Miss offense broke five single-season school records in 2015: completions (312), passing yards (4,263), total offense yards (6,758), touchdowns (67) and points (528), as the Golden Eagles recorded nine wins, a Conference USA West title, and a berth in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl against Washington. Southern Miss was just the second school in FBS history with a 4,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard receiver and two 1,000-yard rushers.

Brown spent two seasons as defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at the University of Pikeville in Kentucky. Prior to returning to the collegiate level, Brown was the head football coach and head weightlifting coach at Harmony (Fla.) High School for three years. In 2009, Brown was named the Florida Athletic Coaches Association 4A Coach of the Year and the 2009 Orange Belt Conference Weightlifting Coach of the Year.

Brown worked as associate director of football operations at Northwestern during the 2007 season and 2008 signing class under Pat Fitzgerald. Prior to Northwestern, Brown was the defensive coordinator at both Lake Howell (Fla.) High School and St. Cloud (Fla.) High School. He also spent six seasons as head coach at Magoffin County (Ky.) High School.

A 1996 graduate of Morehead State University, Brown received his bachelor's degree in social sciences and a master's in educational leadership at Union College.

Dayne and his wife Gina, have a daughter, Hannah, who is a recent graduate from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.

Caleb Ross
Caleb Ross, one of the most successful high school coaches in the state of Alabama, joins the Troy staff following three years as the head coach at Prattville (Ala.) High School where he led the Lions to three straight Alabama 7A Playoff appearances.

"Caleb is one of the most respected coaches in the state of Alabama and his results on the field and in the development of his players speak for themselves," Lindsey said. "Over his 19 years as a high school coach in this state, Caleb has built countless relationships with other coaches and schools across not only our state but across the region. We are excited to welcome him and his family to Troy."

Coaching at his alma mater, Ross led Prattville to a 23-11 record during his tenure as head coach after inheriting a program that was just 5-13 the two seasons prior. Twenty-nine of his players went on to sign college scholarships and the playoff appearances were the first for the school since 2014.

"We are extremely excited about the opportunity to work for Chip Lindsey and Troy University," Ross said. "Troy is an outstanding school with a deep football tradition. Coaching at the collegiate level has been a goal of mine since I got into coaching, and I am very proud we get to achieve that goal at a place like Troy. My wife and I, along with our two kids, look forward to being a part of the Trojan family."
Prior to returning to Prattville, Ross led Opelika to a 9-4 mark and a berth in the third round of the Alabama 6A State Playoffs in 2017 following a successful three-year run at McGill-Toolen High School in Mobile.

Ross guided the Yellow Jackets to their first-ever state title in 2015 in a season in which they were ranked No. 1 in Alabama for 13 weeks and reached as high as No. 4 in the USA Today Poll. He was named the 2015 Crichton Optimist, WKRG, Call News and USA Today HS Sports Alabama Coach of the Year following the season.

McGill returned to the state championship game the following year and finished as runner-up after an undefeated regular season. The Yellow Jackets posted a combined 26-2 record over the 2015 and 2016 seasons which featured current Troy linebacker and All-American Carlton Martial as a two-time first team all-state selection.

Before taking over as the head coach, Ross spent the 2013 season as the Yellow Jackets offensive coordinator and was named the Alabama Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year.

He spent one season as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Spanish Fort High School in 2012 where he helped lead the Toros to a state title. He began his head coaching career at Thompson High School in 2011.

Ross spent the previous five years as an assistant coach at Prattville, including the final three as the offensive coordinator. The Lions won three state titles and advanced to the championship game another year during his first tenure at his alma mater.

Ross began his high school coaching career at Clinton High School (2002-05), all on the defensive side of the football, before transitioning to offense the following year at Prattville.

A 2002 graduate of Samford University, Ross earned his master's degree in sport & fitness management from Troy University in 2018. He and his wife, Amy, have two children, Rebecca Claire and Jack.

Troy University Athletics

Troy Football Makes Pair of Staff Announcements

Players Mentioned

Carlton Martial

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