The Cleveland Browns will be represented on the sidelines during the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl announced that safeties coach Ephraim Banda will serve as the defensive coordinator for the American Team on Feb. 3. Banda will coach alongside Titans assistant head coach/defensive line coach Terrell Williams – who will serve as the head coach for the American team – Patriots wide receivers coach Troy Brown – who will serve as the offensive coordinator – and Giants assistant special teams coach Mike Adams – who will serve as the special teams coordinator.
Banda joined the Browns’ coaching staff as the safeties coach in 2023 after 11 years of coaching at the collegiate level, helping his teams to a bowl game each of his 11 seasons coaching in college football.
Banda began his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at Texas, spending three seasons from 2012-14 with the Longhorns. Then, he became a defensive assistant at Mississippi State in 2015. He spent five seasons (2016-20) at the University of Miami, three of which as the safeties coach before serving as the co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach from 2019-20. His last stop in college football was as Utah State, where he spent two seasons from 2021-22 as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
This is the second year that the Senior Bowl implemented a “Coach Up” format, where coordinators and assistant coaches are placed into different or higher roles from their current position with their club. Head coaches and general managers from each of the non-playoff and Wild Card round teams could nominate assistant coaches for a position. Then, those selected were chosen by a group of league office executives and representatives from the General Managers Advisory Committee.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl allows top seniors and draft prospects from around the country to showcase their talent and connect with coaches, scouts and front office members from all 32 NFL teams. The Senior Bowl will include three days of practice before the game on Feb. 3.