Clawson Tabs Brad Lambert as Wake Forest’s Defensive Coordinator

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest head football coach Dave Clawson announced Wednesday that Brad Lambert has been added to his coaching staff as the Demon Deacons defensive coordinator.

"Brad Lambert is an extremely accomplished coach and has a long track record of helping young men achieve great success on and off the field throughout his career," Clawson said. "With his experience as a head coach and leading some of the top defensive units in the country, he will come to Winston-Salem and make an immediate impact on our program. His background at Wake Forest will help him hit the ground running as he builds great relationships with our players and gets on the recruiting trail."

"Wake Forest is a special place and I am fired up to return to Winston-Salem and build off the sustained success Coach Clawson, his staff and the student-athletes have achieved," Lambert said. "I want to thank our players at Purdue for all their hard work and dedication over the past year and Coach Jeff Brohm for giving our family a chance to join the Boilermaker community. I look forward to getting to know our players and hitting the ground running this spring."

Lambert joins the Demon Deacons after spending the 2021 season at Purdue where the Boilermakers won nine games for the first time since 2003 and tied for the second-most wins in program history. Additionally, they won five games away / neutral site games for the first time since 1943.

Lambert's defense, along with his two fellow co-defensive coordinators, allowed only 22.4 points per game to rank 34th nationally, holding four opponents to single digits. Purdue also ranked 24th in first down defense (18.4 per game), 23rd in red zone defense (.756) and 33rd in passing yards allowed (208.7 ypg). The Boilermakers defense forced 17 turnovers on the season as well. Individually, DE George Karlaftis earned All-America honors from multiple outlets as he became the first Boilermaker to receive that distinction since Ryan Kerrigan in 2010.

Prior to his arrival in West Lafayette, Lambert spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons as the defensive coordinator, linebackers and safeties coach at Marshall. In 2020, the Thundering Herd led all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in scoring defense (13.0 points per game), was second in the nation in total defense (279.4 yards per game), third in red zone defense (66.7 percent) and fourth among all FBS teams in rushing defense (95.5 yards per game).

Prior to Marshall, Lambert served eight seasons (2011-18) as the head coach at Charlotte, starting the program from scratch. The 49ers played two years as a Football Championship Subdivision independent (2013-14) before joining C-USA in 2015. Lambert played a role in all of the development of the new program, including recruiting the first class of players, hiring a new coaching staff and the design of the stadium, practice facilities, weight room, office spaces and uniforms.

Lambert spent 10 years at Wake Forest (2001-10), serving the final three seasons as the Demon Deacons' defensive coordinator. He worked with Wake Forest's linebackers for the first nine seasons and with the secondary for the final year.

Wake Forest had five winning seasons in his 10 years in Winston-Salem, including an 11-3 campaign in 2006 that led to an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a berth in the Orange Bowl. In 2008, Aaron Curry won the Butkus Award, presented annually to the nation's top linebacker. He led a defense that had five National Football League draft picks in Curry, Stanley Arnoux, Chip Vaughn, Alphonso Smith and Brandon Ghee.

Prior to Wake Forest, Lambert spent 11 seasons with Jim Donnan at both Marshall (1990-95) and Georgia (1996-2000).

He got his start in collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma (1988-89)

Lambert graduated from Kansas State in 1987 with a degree in business finance. He was a four-year letterwinner as a defensive back for the Wildcats, earning second-team All-Big Eight honors in 1984 and Academic All-Big Eight honors three times (1984-86).

Lambert and his wife, Angie, have three children; a daughter, Lucy, and sons Layne and Beau.

Purdue (2021)

Purdue won nine games for the first time since 2003 and tied for the second-most wins in program history. Additionally, they won five games away / neutral site games for the first time since 1943. Purdue finished with a record of 6-3 in Big Ten play, the most conference wins in a season since the 2003 team went 6-2.
- Two of those victories were over previously unbeaten No. 2 Iowa (Oct. 16) and No. 3 Michigan State (Nov. 6), giving the Boilermakers two wins over Top 5 teams for the first time since 1960.
Lambert's defense, along with his two fellow co-defensive coordinators, allowed only 22.4 points per game to rank 34th nationally. Purdue also ranked 24th in first down defense (18.4 per game), 23rd in red zone defense (.756) and 33rd in passing yards allowed (208.7 ypg). The Boilermakers defense forced 17 turnovers on the season as well.
The Boilermakers held four opponents to fewer than 10 points for the first time since the 1978 season.
Individually, DE George Karlaftis earned All-America honors from multiple outlets as he became the first Boilermaker to receive that distinction since Ryan Kerrigan in 2010. He was also a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award (national defensive player of the year) and a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award (top defensive end in college football). Karlaftis led the Boilermakers in tackles for loss (11.5), sacks (5.0), forced fumbles (3), fumble recoveries (2) and quarterback hurries (8); his 11.5 tackles for loss ranked seventh in the Big Ten, as Karlaftis recorded at least 1.0 TFL in eight of nine conference games.

Marshall (2019-20)

Lambert spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons as the defensive coordinator, linebackers and safeties coach at Marshall.
In 2020, the Thundering Herd led all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in scoring defense (13.0 points per game), was second in the nation in total defense (279.4 yards per game), third in red zone defense (66.7 percent) and fourth among all FBS teams in rushing defense (95.5 yards per game).
Marshall went a combined 15-8 and appeared in the Gasparilla Bowl in 2019 and the Camellia Bowl in 2020 in the two seasons with Lambert on staff.
Individually, linebacker Tavante Beckett was named the 2020 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America after leading the nation with four fumble recoveries and C-USA in tackles per game (10.0).
In 2019, he coached the Thundering Herd's linebacking corps, which included Beckett, who was picked as a first-team All-Conference USA selection after leading the league with 121 tackles. Beckett teamed with second-team pick Omari Cobb and, together, the two were named the team's co-Defensive MVPs.

Charlotte (2011-18)

Lambert was announced as head coach by university Chancellor Dr. Philip Dubois and 49ers Director of Athletics Judy Rose as the program's first head football coach on March 1, 2011. He was charged with building the start-up program, recruiting its first players, helping design the stadium layout and infrastructure, hiring the staff and assembling legions of fans.
The 49ers played for two years (2013, 2014) as an FCS Independent before making their debut in the FBS as a member of Conference USA in 2015. Along the way, Lambert oversaw a string of firsts, including a win in the 49ers' first-ever game, a win in the 49ers' first-ever FBS game, the program's first C-USA wins and the first 49ers player to be drafted by and start in the NFL.
On April 28, 2011, Lambert officially broke ground on the 49ers stadium, not with a shovel but a front-end loader before a crowd of over 3,000 fans. In February of 2012, the program's first recruiting class was announced and in August of 2012, the first players started workouts for what would be a redshirt season. In April of 2013, the 49ers staged their first Spring Game and on August 31, 2013, the program played its inaugural game.
The 49ers would win that first game in 2013, 52-7, against Campbell and go on to a 5-6 record. Along the way, the 49ers picked up their first-ever FCS Top 25 win with a dramatic come-from-behind 53-51 victory over No. 24 Gardner-Webb. Trailing by 21 points in the fourth quarter, Charlotte scored 29 straight points to take the lead and stopped the Bulldogs two-point conversion in the final minute to secure the win.
- The first season included four games against FCS top 25 opponents.
- Charlotte picked up its first FCS road win at Presbyterian as the 49ers put up over 500 yards of total offense at No. 3 Coastal Carolina and closed the season with a record-setting 61-17 victory at Morehead State.
The second season in 2014 was highlighted by an explosive offense that featured the program's first-ever 1,000-yard rusher and receiver. Running back Kalif Phillips rushed for 1,441 yards and 20 touchdowns, while wideout Austin Duke recorded 1,373 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. The 49ers again finished 5-6. Five of those six losses came by one possession and two were in overtime. Against competition similar to the inaugural season, including eight common opponents, Charlotte enjoyed a plus-37 scoring differential compared to minus-17 mark in 2013.
In 2015, the 49ers made the leap to the FBS and competed in Conference USA. Charlotte earned a victory in the program's first-ever FBS game by toppling bowl-bound Georgia State, 23-20, in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. The 49ers would finish the season with a 2-10 record. Defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi and running back Kalif Phillips became the first 49ers to earn All-Conference USA honors by taking home second-team accolades.
In 2016, Charlotte doubled its win total from its FBS debut with a 4-8 mark while producing a 3-5 record in Conference USA to finish eighth in the league overall. Ogunjobi became the first 49er to earn First Team All-Conference USA honors. Charlotte earned each of its three league wins on the road, with the program's first road conference win at FAU, 28-23.
- While Ogunjobi took home first-team all-league honors, seven 49ers earned honorable mention accolades and two were named to the league's All-Freshman team. Freshman defensive back Ben DeLuca was named Freshman All-American by Pro Football Focus as well.
In 2017, the 49ers faced its first season without its foundational class. Charlotte posted its first C-USA home win with a 25-24 overtime victory against UAB as the 49ers converted a two-point conversion with the game on the line. Once again, seven student-athletes garnered Honorable Mention All-Conference USA honors. Meanwhile, Karrington King became the program's all-time leading tackler despite his senior season ending early due to injury.
In his final season at UNC Charlotte, the 49ers won the most Conference USA games in school history with a 4-4 mark in league play. Overall, Charlotte finished the season 5-7 and eight players garnered All-Conference USA honors. Redshirt junior defensive end Alex Highsmith became the second player in school history to garner First Team accolades. Additionally, four rookies were selected to the league's All-Freshman team.
Ogunjobi became the first 49er selected in the NFL Draft as he was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the first pick of the third round (65th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft. In the spring of 2015, offensive lineman Daniel Blitch (Carolina Panthers) and defensive back Desmond Cooper (Jacksonville Jaguars) were invited to the NFL rookie minicamps – becoming the first 49ers to get an invite to an NFL camp. Cooper became the first 49er to sign an NFL contract, when Jacksonville signed him after the two-day camp.

Wake Forest (2001-10)

Lambert served as Defensive Coordinator for the Demon Deacons from 2008-10 and coached the linebackers and special teams units prior to that. In his 10 years under Jim Grobe at Wake Forest, he was an integral part of the Deacons then-most successful football era. He was the linebackers coach on Wake Forest's 2006 ACC Championship team and was a part of four Bowl Game appearances, including three straight from 2006-2008.
The Deacons had five winning seasons during Lambert's tenure, including the 11-3 ACC Championship team and Orange Bowl team in 2006 and the 9-4 squad that advanced to the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl. In 2008, Lambert's first as Defensive Coordinator, the Deacons went 8-5 to cap a three-year run in which Wake Forest put together an overall 28-12 record and a 15-9 mark in the ACC while earning bids to the three straight bowl games. Over the course of his 10-year run at Wake Forest, Lambert helped the Deacons to a 61-60 record.
Lambert was the architect of one of the best defenses that Wake Forest ever fielded in 2008. The Deacons held opponents to just 296.7 total offense yards per game. It was the second-best effort by a Wake Forest defense in 41 years.
Strongside linebacker Aaron Curry and cornerback Alphonso Smith each earned first team All-ACC honors and first team All-America honors. Under Lambert's tutelage, Curry blossomed into the Butkus Award winner as the nation's top linebacker and became a first-round NFL draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks. Smith was the only consensus All-American in the ACC in 2008 and set the conference record with 21 career interceptions. Smith was drafted in the second round by the Denver Broncos.
Lambert also mentored middle linebacker Stanley Arnoux who was a fourth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in the 2009 NFL Draft.
The productivity of Lambert's linebackers were a key reason why Wake Forest limited its 2006 opponents to just 15.4 points per game to rank second in the ACC and 12th nationally. The Deacons defense was stingy against the run, giving up just 105.8 rushing yards per game, the third-best mark in Wake Forest history.
Lambert's brightest star of that championship team in 2006 was Jon Abbate, who earned first team All-ACC and honorable mention All-America status. Abbate became only the third player in ACC history to lead his team in tackles as a freshman, sophomore and a junior. Abbate also became the first Deacon to forgo his senior season for the NFL Draft.
Under Lambert's guidance, some of the program's most exciting young talent began to emerge. A trio of redshirt freshmen, including Curry and Arnoux, showed a great deal of promise in 2005. Curry, in particular, took the ACC by storm. His 7.5 tackles for loss ranked among the top freshmen nationally. He earned second team Freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News. Despite having only one senior linebacker, Wake Forest limited opponents to just 133.5 rushing yards per game in 2005. That equaled the fourth-best rushing defense in Wake Forest history.
In 2004, Lambert coached Abbate to honorable mention All-ACC honors and runner-up for ACC Rookie of the Year. Lambert guided the inside linebackers during his first season with the Deacons. Wake Forest's starting inside linebackers in 2001, Marquis Hopkins and Kellen Brantley, finished the season as the team's top two tacklers.

Georgia (1996-00)

At Georgia, Lambert helped the Bulldogs to a 40-19 record that included four straight bowl wins: 1997 Outback Bowl, 1998 Peach Bowl, 1999 Outback Bowl and 2000 Oahu Bowl.
Lambert held a variety of roles within Georgia's defensive system over his five years with the Bulldogs. In 2000, he coached the secondary after working with the linebackers, special teams and defensive ends in previous seasons.
Lambert guided cornerback Tim Wansley to All-SEC honors after he led the league in interceptions in 2000. That season the Bulldog defense broke a school record for interceptions for touchdowns. In 1999, Lambert coached two All-SEC linebackers -- Kendrell Bell and Orantes Grant.
Also during his time at Georgia, Lambert coached the likes of defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud, who both went on to become first-round draft picks.
As the special teams coordinator, he also worked with the likes of defensive back Champ Bailey and wide receiver Hines Ward.

Marshall (1990-95)

Lambert got his first full-time job as a defensive ends coach at Marshall University in 1990 before moving to linebackers at the start of the 1991 season.
He helped lead the Herd to the 1992 Division I-AA title with a 31-28 victory over Youngstown State.
In total, Marshall appeared in four I-AA title games (1991, 1992, 1993 and 1995) with Lambert on the coaching staff.
During his six seasons at Marshall, the Thundering Herd went a combined 64-21.

Oklahoma (1988-89)

He got his start in collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma.

Background

Lambert graduated from Kansas State in 1987 with a degree in business finance. He was a four-year letterwinner as a defensive back for the Wildcats, earning second-team All- Big Eight honors in 1984 and Academic All-Big Eight honors three times (1984-86).

Personal

Lambert and his wife, Angie, have three children: a daughter, Lucy, and sons Layne and Beau.

Postseason History

Season	Bowl Game	Opponent	Result
2021	Music City Bowl	Tennessee	W, 48-45 (OT)
2020	Camellia Bowl	Buffalo	L, 17-10
2019	Gasparilla Bowl	UCF	L, 48-25
2008	EagleBank Bowl	Navy	W, 29-19
2007	Meineke Car Care Bowl	Connecticut	W, 24-10
2006	Orange Bowl	Louisville	L, 24-13
2002	Seattle Bowl	Oregon	W, 38-17
2000	Oahu Bowl	Virgina	W, 37-14
1999	Outback Bowl	Purdue	W, 28-25
1998	Peach Bowl	Virginia	W, 35-33
1997	Outback Bowl	Wisconsin	W, 33-6
1995	I-AA Championship (Marshall)	Montana	L, 22-20
1995	I-AA Semifinals (Marshall)	McNeese State	W, 25-13
1995	I-AA Quarterfinals (Marshall)	Northern Iowa	W, 41-24
1995	I-AA First Round (Marshall)	Jackson State	W, 38-8
1994	I-AA Semifinals (Marshall)	Boise State	L, 28-24
1994	I-AA Quarterfinals (Marshall)	James Madison	W, 28-21 (OT)
1994	I-AA First Round (Marshall)	Middle Tennessee St.	W, 49-14
1993	I-AA Championship (Marshall)	Youngstown State	L, 17-5
1993	I-AA Semifinals (Marshall)	Troy State	W, 24-21
1993	I-AA Quarterfinals (Marshall)	Delaware	W, 34-31
1993	I-AA First Round (Marshall)	Howard	W, 28-14
1992	I-AA Championship (Marshall)	Youngstown State	W, 31-28
1992	I-AA Semifinals (Marshall)	Delaware	W, 28-7
1992	I-AA Quarterfinals (Marshall)	Middle Tennessee St.	W, 35-21
1992	I-AA First Round (Marshall)	Eastern Kentucky	W, 44-10
1991	I-AA Championship (Marshall)	Youngstown State	L, 25-17
1991	I-AA Semifinals (Marshall)	Eastern Kentucky	W, 14-7
1991	I-AA Quarterfinals (Marshall)	Northern Iowa	W, 41-13
1991	I-AA First Round (Marshall)	Western Illinois	W, 20-17

Coaching History

Seasons	School/Team	Title/Position Coached
2022-Present	Wake Forest	Defensive Coordinator
2021	Purdue	Co-Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
2020	Marshall	Defensive Coordinator / Safeties
2019	Marshall	Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
2011-18	Charlotte	Head Coach
2008-10	Wake Forest	Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Backs
2001-07	Wake Forest	Linebackers
2000	Georgia	Defensive Backs
1998-99	Georgia	Linebackers
1996-98	Georgia	Defensive Ends / Special Teams
1991-95	Marshall	Defensive Backs
1990	Marshall	Defensive Ends
1988-89	Oklahoma	Graduate Assistant

NFL Players (Round Drafted)

LB Alex Highsmith (3rd) - Charlotte '20 - Pittsburgh Steelers
OT Cameron Clark (4th) - Charlotte '20 - New York Jets
CB Chris Jackson (7th) - Marshall '20 - Tennessee Titans
OG Nate Davis (3rd) - Charlotte '19 - Tennessee Titans
DT Larry Ogunjobi (3rd) - Charlotte '17 - Cleveland Browns
CB Kevin Johnson (1st) - Wake Forest '15 - Houston Texans
LB Kyle Wilber (4th) - Wake Forest '12 - Dallas Cowboys
S Josh Bush (6th) - Wake Forest '12 - New York Jets
CB Brandon Ghee (3rd) - Wake Forest '10 - Cincinnati Bengals
LB Aaron Curry (1st) - Wake Forest '09 - Seattle Seahawks
CB Alphonso Smith (2nd) - Wake Forest '09 - Denver Broncos
S Chip Vaughn (4th) - Wake Forest '09 - New Orleans Saints
LB Stanley Arnoux (4th) - Wake Forest '09 - New Orleans Saints
LB Boss Bailey (2nd) - Georgia '03 - Detroit Lions
LB Will Witherspoon (3rd) - Georgia '02 - Carolina Panthers
S Terreal Bierria (4th) - Georgia '02 - Seattle Seahawks
S Jermaine Phillips (5th) - Georgia '02 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CB Tim Wansley (7th) - Georgia '02 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
DT Marcus Stroud (1st) - Georgia '01 - Jacksonville Jaguars
LB Kendrell Bell (2nd) - Georgia '01 - Pittsburgh Steelers
CB Jamie Henderson (4th) - Georgia '01 - New York Jets
LB Orantes Grant (7th) - Georgia '00 - Dallas Cowboys
DE Antonio Cochran (4th) - Georgia '99 - Seattle Seahawks

Personal Information

Birthday: January 14, 1965
Hometown: Hoxie, Kansas
Education: 1987 - Bachelor's in business finance from Kansas State
Wife: Angie
Children: Lucy, Layne and Beau

Wake Forest Athletics

Clawson Tabs Brad Lambert as Wake Forest’s Defensive Coordinator

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