Fresno State has a new defensive backs coach -- and he just might be a viable replacement for Tim McDonald.

David Brown, a Division II head coach the past three years, will coach Fresno State's secondary after guiding Missouri Science & Technology to its best season in more than three decades with a defense that ranked second in the nation with 49 turnovers and 43 sacks.

Brown's background and areas of strengths seem to emphasize Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter's continued goal of fielding a defense that forces turnovers and harasses quarterbacks. Fresno State finished with 35 turnovers, fifth in the nation in D-I, and 40 sacks, which ranked ninth, in DeRuyter's first season.

"They run a lot of the concepts I was running, use a lot of man (coverage), quarters (coverage) concepts, so it's stuff that I'm used to and think it'll make for a smooth transition," Brown said. "I grew up in L.A. and knew about Fresno State, the Valley and the area.

"It's a great move for my family to come back to California and coach at a program like Fresno State."

Fresno State has not officially announced Brown's hiring.

Brown, 40, finished 19-14 overall at Missouri S&T. In his final season, Missouri S&T went 10-1 with a No. 24 national ranking and finished 10th overall in total defense (293.1 yards per game) and 17th in scoring defense (18.6 points).

Brown, who was a safety at Cal Poly, was told of Fresno State's opening by Bulldogs special teams/defensive line assistant Pete Germano.

They worked at Ohio under Frank Solich, just after DeRuyter left that staff. In 2009, Brown helped Ohio lead the nation with 38 turnovers.

"As a coach, you'd like to think you know everything," Brown said. "Realistically, being a DB my whole life, that's what I'm best at. I was born with the initials. Having head coaching experience will help me better serve as an assistant."

Brown is scheduled to fly into Fresno today, then start coaching Thursday.

Fresno State's spring semester practice starts Monday and ends March 23 with the annual spring game.

McDonald, the former NFL Pro Bowler and Fresno native, left Fresno State after one season to become defensive backs coach with the New York Jets.