We're a bit late on this, but I'd like to say a few things about Grady Brown, newly hired cornerbacks coach at USC. Brown will also help with special teams. Carolina picks up Brown from Southern Miss., where Ellis Johnson retained him from the previous staff. That should tell you a little bit about Brown right there. Brown led the Golden Eagles to the seventh-best passing efficiency defense last season. He's also reportedly a solid recruiter. Certainly, recruiting to USC is a different animal than recruiting to USM, but Brown is a young, energetic guy that should be able to relate well with prep stars.
Where did this hire come from? Well, Brown has a long history with newly promoted defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward. Ward has known Brown for many years, having recruited him when Brown was playing high-school ball, and Ward is very high on Brown's potential as a coach. One thing that should, thus, be noted is that this hire would seem to suggest that Ward is being given the keys to the defense--not to say that Spurrier would have any reason to be against this hire, but it's Ward who made the decision, not Spurrier. That's fairly typical of Spurrier' coaching philosophy--the HBC likes to take care of the offense, and he gives his defensive coaches lots of latitude. However, there was some uncertainty whether that would continue to be the case here, considering Ward's lack of experience as a coordinator. Apparently, Spurrier trusts Ward to make the right choices.
With all of this in mind, I think we have a lot of reason to be happy about this hire. Brown comes with solid credentials, and the confidence that Spurrier is showing in Ward would suggest that Spurrier believes Ward is ready to lead this defense. All of that bodes well for Carolina going forward.