BradLambert

Brad Lambert, a former head coach and defensive coordinator, joined the Kentucky Football coaching staff as a defensive analyst in April of 2025. Lambert comes to the Bluegrass after three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest, bringing 38 years of coaching experience, including eight as a head coach. He will work closely with the nickelbacks.

Under Lambert, the Deamon Deacons’ defense forced 16 turnovers (seven interceptions and nine fumbles) in 2022 and won eight wins for just the 10^th time in program history. A bowl victory over Missouri in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl capped off his first season.

In 2023, Wake Forest ranked in the top 50 nationally in run defense, allowing just 82.4 rushing yards per game. The Deacs’ defense received an overall grade of 84.8 from Pro Football Focus and were known as one of the best teams in the country in redzone defense, ranking tied for 22nd nationally with just 76.9 percent of opponent redzone trips resulting in a score. Additionally, just 20 of the 39 opponent red zone tries (51.3 pct.) ended in a touchdown.

Last season, three of his defensive players earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors as senior linebacker Branson Combs was named Second Team All-ACC and redshirt junior safety Nick Andersen was named to the third team after leading the league in tackles during the regular season with 122 stops. He became the first Demon Deacon with 100 tackles in a season with Ryan Smenda Jr. in 2022. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Kevin Pointer received Honorable-Mention All-ACC honors.

Prior to Wake Forest, Lambert spent the 2021 season as the co-defensive coordinator at Purdue. The Boilermakers defense 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 defense forced 17 turnovers on the season as well. Individually, DE George Karlaftis earned All-America honors from multiple outlets, becoming the first Boilermaker to receive that distinction since Ryan Kerrigan in 2010.

Lambert served as the defensive coordinator, linebackers and safeties coach at Marshall during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

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). He was named a nominee for the Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coaches.

Before 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 also had a previous stop at Wake Forest, coaching 10 years from 2001-10, including 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 ACC 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).

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. He coached both Champ Bailey and Hines Ward while serving as special teams coordinator for the Bulldogs.

At Marshall, he was a part of the Thundering Herd’s 1992 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship. In fact, as an assistant coach at Marshall, Lambert helped the Herd to the national title game in four of his six years and to a semifinal appearance in a fifth.

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.

 

Brad Lambert’s Coaching Career