Staff Directory

Brandon Napoleon

Title:
Assistant Defensive Backs Coach

Brandon Napoleon joined the Syracuse football staff in Spring, 2026, where he assists with coaching defensive backs.

Napoleon came to Syracuse from Wofford, where he spent the 2025 season as the defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Led by his secondary unit that led the SoCon and finished seventh nationally with 15 interceptions, Wofford posted a top-40 defense nationally and led the SoCon in total defense.

Napoleon coached safety Maximus Pulley to be a consensus All-American and First Team All-SoCon honors after leading the conference with five interceptions. Cornerback Darius Malcolm Jr. led the conference in passes defended (13) and earned Second Team All-SoCon honors, while safety Eli Campbell joined him on the all-conference second team after finishing second in the conference with four interceptions.

Napoleon spent the 2024 season coaching at Jacksonville State, where he helped the team to a Conference USA Championship and trip to the Cure Bowl. Defensive back Zachariah Porter was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team under Napoleon’s tutelage.

He spent the 2023 season at Rhode Island as the defensive backs coach, where cornerback Syeed Gibbs was named the CAA Rookie of the Year and an FCS Freshman All-American.

Napoleon coached cornerbacks at Sacred Heart in 2022, where his unit allowed the fourth-least passing yards in the FCS.

Prior to Sacred Heart, Napoleon was a graduate assistant at Buffalo and also had coaching stints at Kutztown University, Geneva College, Midwestern State and Susquehanna.

A native of Rahway, N.J. Napoleon played in the U.S. Marines All-American Bowl in high school before beginning his college career at West Virginia. He’d conclude his playing career at Kansas Wesleyan, where he holds a degree in communications.