Brandon Sharp is in his third season at Prairie View A&M, his second coaching safeties and serving as the passing game coordinator. In 2015, Sharp coached the cornerbacks.
Last season, the safety tandem of Raliegh Johnson and Will Skinner became a major force on the defense. Johnson tied for second on the team in tackles, tied for third in interceptions, and tied for the team lead in forced fumbles. Skinner made a career-high 29 solo tackles including a safety, while recording a pair of sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
In 2015, redshirt freshman Dominique Weaver earned second-team All-SWAC honors after leading the team in interceptions (three) and the SWAC in passes defensed (13). Redshirt sophomore Arthur Lockett also had a pick and was second on the team with six passes defensed.
The Jacksonville, Fla. native had a standout high school career as he helped The Bolles School to a 14-1 record and the Florida Class 2A state title as a senior, as he earned second-team all-state accolades and led the city with nine interceptions. His junior season, he made four interceptions while helping lead Bolles to an 11-2 mark and a district title.
Sharp was a four-year letterman at Louisville from 2003-06 and was part of the Bobby Petrino-coached team that beat Wake Forest 24-13 in the 2007 Orange Bowl, the first BCS Bowl game in Cardinals’ history. Sharp appeared in 46 career games at Louisville and finished his career with 120 tackles, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. As a senior, he earned second-team All-Big East acclaim after collecting 50 tackles, 5.0 for loss with 2.5 sacks, seven pass breakups and one forced fumble. His junior season, he ranked seventh on the team with 48 tackles, 2.0 for loss, and added four pass breakups and one interception.
After signing as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans and spending time on the Chicago Bears practice squad, he began his coaching career as a defensive intern and defensive graduate assistant from 2009-2011 at Arkansas. He coached in three bowl games including the 2010 Liberty Bowl, the 2011 Sugar Bowl and the 2012 Cotton Bowl.
He continued to move up the coaching ladder as secondary coach at UAB, coaching safety Calvin Jones to an honorable mention Conference USA season.
After two years at UAB, Sharp moved to Henderson State as linebackers coach. Under Sharp, linebacker Josh Davis earned first-team all-conference honors.
Sharp earned his bachelor’s degree in sports administration from Louisville in 2007.
