Steven Brown approved by North Plainfield Board of Ed as next Canuck football coach

The coaching vacancies in the Big Central Conference are filling up, with Steven Brown being officially hired as the new football coach at North Plainfield, Athletic Director Sean Dowling has confirmed to Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The Board of Education approved the hiring at its regular meeting Monday night, along with the hiring of five assistant coaches.

Brown has been the defensive coordinator at Verona for the last two seasons; the Hillbillies were 2-7 last year, but 7-4 in 2024. He’s also been the defensive coordinator for girls’ flag football coach at Elizabeth the past two seasons. This year, they went 11-5, following a 14-2-1 program debut in 2024; they reached the Big Central Conference title game each of the last two seasons. (Flag football will be an official NJSIAA sanctioned sport in 2027, including state playoffs, after a two-year pilot program.)

Brown replaces Derek Eatman, who stepped down in the off-season after four years leading the program. The Canucks went 3-6 each of the last two seasons, and were 8-31 over that four-year span. Eatman is now an assistant at Franklin under Blair Wilson

The five Canuck assistant coaches approved Monday night by the Board of Ed include Defensive Coordinator Jameel Drummond, defensive line coach Emanuel Weaver, linebackers coach Damien Torres, and defensive backs coach Jah-Quinn Wembley, all of whom were announced on Instagram by Brown.

Tyrone Turner, who spent the last two seasons at Roselle, also was hired, but it’s unclear what position he’ll coach. Turner was 6-16 in two campaigns with the Rams, and 13-23 in the four seasons prior as head coach at Shabazz in Newark.

James Roach was appointed in May as Roselle’s new head coach.