CLINTON, S.C. – An FBS veteran who has spent numerous years in the ACC, SEC, Pac-12, and Mountain West,
Michael Bruno has been tabbed as the Presbyterian College football team's newest Defensive Coordinator. Head coach
Matt Rahl announced the hire on Wednesday afternoon.
Bruno makes a cross-country move to Clinton after serving as the Linebackers Coach at the University of California Berkeley, spending a total of six seasons with the Golden Bears over two different stints.
His other past destinations include UNLV, Louisville, Mississippi State, and Dartmouth, working his way up the assistant coaching ranks over the past 16 years.
"I am thrilled to be able to turn our defense over to Coach Bruno", remarked Rahl, who became PC's 18
th head coach on December 29. "His experience at all levels of college football will be very valuable to our team.
"I'm excited about the passion and commitment that Mike brings to his teaching and the relationships that he forms with the student-athletes under his watch."
Return to Cal (2024-25)
- Initially serving the Golden Bears when they were in the Pac-12 in the late 2010's, Bruno returned to Cal to spend the last two seasons as a Defensive Analyst and later the Inside Linebackers Coach last fall.
- Working underneath head coach Justin Wilcox, Bruno and the Golden Bears qualified for the postseason in 2024 and 2025 while he assisted with the recruiting efforts of all defensive prospects.
- The '24 Cal season started with a 3-0 mark (including a 21-14 triumph at Auburn) and later featured two close ACC wins against Wake Forest (46-36) and arch-rival Stanford (24-21).
- That year, the Golden Bears led the conference in pass efficiency defense (117.80) while also ranking second in the ACC in scoring defense (22 points allowed per game).
- Last season, Bruno and company improved to a 7-5 ledger while again starting 3-0. They'd go 4-4 against conference competition, highlighted by two clutch victories over #14 Louisville (29-26) and #25 SMU in the regular season finale (38-35).
- The '25 Golden Bears ranked in the ACC's top four in passing defense, appearing in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve after accepting a bid to the Las Vegas Bowl one year earlier.
List of Notable Players During This Stint
Cade Uluave
- 2025 All-ACC First Team
- 2024 ACC Honorable Mention
Luke Ferrelli
- 2025 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year
- 2025 ACC Honorable Mention
Teddye Buchanan
- 2024 All-ACC First Team
- 4th Round Pick of the Baltimore Ravens
UNLV & Minot State (2022-23)
- Bruno was given the full keys to a college defense for the first time in 2023, becoming the Defensive Coordinator for a single season at Division II Minot State in North Dakota.
- That year, the Beavers topped all schools in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in passing defense (182 yards per game through the air). Carson Cayko ranked fifth in the league with 75 tackles, while Bruno mentored two All-Conference first team selections: Isaiah Bigby and Knylen Miller-Levi.
- Prior to joining Minot State, Bruno was hired by head coach Marcus Arroyo to direct the Inside Linebackers at UNLV in the 2022 campaign. The Rebels started 4-1 that fall and would close the season with a five-point win versus Nevada.
- Bruno was responsible for coaching the eventual Mountain West Linebacker of the Year and first-team All-Conference pick Austin Ajiake, who led the league in total tackles with 132.
- UNLV led the Mountain West with 15 interceptions, while also ranking fourth nationally in defensive touchdowns.
First Stint at Cal (2018-21)
- Bruno's beginnings at Cal date back to 2018 where he spent four seasons in Berkeley as a Defensive Quality Control Assistant. He was in charge of all defensive breakdowns, opponent scouting, and the defensive playbook.
- The Golden Bears combined for 15 victories in his first two seasons, winning eight Pac-12 matchups in that window. The 2018 Cal squad started with back-to-back Power Conference wins against North Carolina and BYU, later obtaining a huge upset over #15 Washington in a 12-10 slugfest.
- That 2018 unit qualified for the postseason with consecutive league W's over USC and Colorado, appearing in the Cheez-It Bowl against TCU.
- Bruno's second season saw Cal spend two weeks in the AP Top 25, again beating Washington (then ranked #14 in a 20-19 decision) and starting the year 4-0. The Golden Bears reached as high as #15 in the polls following an eight-point victory at Ole Miss.
- Cal won seven regular-season games for the second time in a row thanks to a couple of tight conference results over Stanford and UCLA to finish the slate. They would then defeat Illinois in the RedBox Bowl at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
- The Golden Bears gathered 36 sacks in 2019, the second-most in the Pac-12. They landed in the conference's top four in total defense (390 yards per game), rushing defense (126 yards per game), and fewest points per game allowed (21).
List of Notable Players During This Stint
Evan Weaver
- 2019 Consensus First Team All-American
- 2019 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
- 2019 FBS Leader in Tackles
- 2019 All-Pac 12 First Team
- 2018 All-Pac 12 Second Team
- 6th Round Pick of the Arizona Cardinals
Jordan Kunaszyk
- 2018 All-Pac 12 First Team
Kuony Deng
- 2019 & 2020 All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention
Mississippi State & Louisville (2016-17)
- Before going to the west coast, Bruno was employed by head coach Bobby Petrino at Louisville in the 2017 season as a Defensive Quality Control assistant. That year, the Cardinals spent six weeks in the AP Top 20 and won eight regular-season affairs.
- Louisville defeated Florida State in Tallahassee at the midway point of the season, finishing with three consecutive wins over Virginia, Syracuse, and Kentucky by an average of 30 points to qualify for the TaxSlayer Bowl.
- The Cards ranked second in the ACC with 10 fumble recoveries, while also sitting in the league's top five for both kick return and punt return coverage.
- Prior to Louisville, Bruno dipped into the Southeastern Conference at Mississippi State for the 2016 season. He served as a defensive Graduate Assistant under Head Coach Dan Mullen, aiding the Bulldogs to a win in the St. Petersburg Bowl over Miami (Ohio).
- MSU earned a major midseason upset against #7 Texas A&M in Starkville, qualifying for the postseason with a 55-20 win in the Egg Bowl at Ole Miss.
- Mississippi State ranked third in the SEC for defensive touchdowns, also in the upper half of the conference in opponents' red zone percentage.
Dartmouth (2011-15)
- Before his first foray into the world of FBS, Bruno coached nickelbacks, specials teams, and the secondary at Dartmouth over a five-season stretch. The Big Green clinched a share of the Ivy League championship in his final year, posting a 17-3 combined record in 2014 and 2015.
- Dartmouth managed a nine-game winning streak while Bruno commanded multiple positions, losing just once all season in 2015 and leading the nation in red zone defense (opponents scored on only 52 percent of their drives that reached the 20-yard line).
- The '15 Big Green led all FCS schools by collecting 32 turnovers, ranking fourth in America for total defense (277 yards per game). Dartmouth never conceded more than 20 points in 10 contests, ranking third in the country by allowing just 86 rushing yards per game.
- Dartmouth's scoring differential in Bruno's last season was +187, holding seven opponents to 10 points or less. They edged out Princeton in the finale to finish 9-1 and win a share of the conference title for the first time in 19 years.
- Five Dartmouth defensive players were All-Ivy League in 2015, posting a combined conference record of 25-10 over Bruno's tenure.
Worcester Polytech (2009-10)
- Bruno began his coaching career at the Division III ranks in Massachusetts, spending two seasons with Worcester Polytechnic Institute at the turn of the decade. He coached running backs for the Engineers in his first season, moving to defensive line and special teams the next year.
- WPI limited the opposition to 20 points or fewer in six of their 10 outings when Bruno started assisting the defense.
- He achieved his bachelor's degree in 2009 from Saint Lawrence University and would obtain his master's in teaching from Mississippi State in 2017.
