Tag: Dennis Simmons

Oklahoma Sooners’ assistant coaches receive extensions

Multiple Oklahoma assistant coaches receive contract extentions at Board of Regents meeting.

As each college football season comes to a close and another one dawns, it is not just the roster that is evaluated. Coaches are as well for the optimization of talent. The Oklahoma Sooners made a statement about their assistant coaches, granting many a contract extension at the Board of Regents meeting per Sooner Scoop staff writer Bob Przybylo.

Offensive line coach/co-offensive coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh, inside receivers coach/co-offensive coordinator Cale Gundy, cornerbacks coach Roy Manning, running backs coach DeMarco Murray, inside linebackers coach Brian Odom, defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux, outside linebackers/defensive ends Jamar Cain and director of sports performance Bennie Wylie all received extensions through 2023.

Defensive coordinator/safeties coach Alex Grinch and assistant head coach/passing game coordinator/outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons both received contract extensions through 2024.

In addition, Gundy was given a $20,000 raise and Simmons a $90,000 raise.

Locking up Alex Grinch for several years is key for the program’s success. Grinch significantly improved the defense over the past couple of years in Norman. The unit went from being the laughingstock in the Big 12 to one of the best in college football. A testament to the energetic man with the headset. Grinch took over as defensive coordinator/safeties coach in 2019 and revamped the group. The defense improved from a total defense ranking of 114th in 2018, 38th in 2019, to 29th in the nation in 2020. That is telling. The squad also drastically improved in rush defense (2018-59th, 2019-32nd, 2020-9th), interceptions (2018-112th, 2019-100th, 2020-3rd), and sacks-per-game (2018-74th, 2019-34th, 2020-7th).

His “Speed D” is built on playing aggressive, downhill, high-effort football to generate turnovers. In his hybrid 3-4/4-2-5 system, the defensive line operates in a one-gap, quickly penetrating and attacking style at the line of scrimmage. The dominance from the front frees things up for the linebackers and nickel backs. On the back end, Grinch prioritizes stopping the run, moving guys around in the box to disrupt tempo. His developed unit has poised Oklahoma for their next national title.

On the opposite side of the ball, Bill Bedenbaugh has created the protective wall surrounding Oklahoma’s high-profile quarterbacks. He continuously produces elite offensive lineman entering the NFL draft and primes them for success at the next level. Whether it be the team’s bread and butter- the counter pull, pass protection, or run blocking, the guys in the trenches perform at a high level under Bedenbaugh’s tutelage. His O-Line has paved the way for two Heisman Trophy winners and one runner up. Without the big guys up front doing their jobs, Oklahoma’s explosive offensive attack would be nonexistent.

He led the 2018 Oklahoma offensive line that was recognized as the nation’s best with the reception of the Joe Moore Award. The Sooners led the country in total offense (570.3 yards-per-game), scoring offense (48.4 points-per-game), rushing yards-per-carry (6.6) and yards-per-play (FBS-record 8.6). Bedenbaugh was a finalist in 2017 and semifinalist in 2018 for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach. He has established himself as one of the best talent producers in the country and Oklahoma took notice with a well-deserved contract extension.

Big 12 Morning Drive: Lincoln Riley-Dennis Simmons relationship, basketball recap

The Big 12 Morning Drive includes a story about Lincoln Riley and Dennis Simmons. Their story began in Lubbock, Texas two decades ago.

Go around the Big 12 Conference with the morning drive, the top stories around the conference. Wednesday’s stories include Big 12 basketball matchups on Tuesday night, but first the story of the head coach Lincoln Riley and passing game coordinator Dennis Simmons. Continue reading “Big 12 Morning Drive: Lincoln Riley-Dennis Simmons relationship, basketball recap”

Lincoln Riley announces Dennis Simmons as assistant head coach and passing game coordinator

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley announced Dennis Simmons would be gaining a new title and promotion on Wednesday.

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley met with the media on Wednesday for the first time in over a month to discuss the latest with his team in the early stages of the offseason.

One announcement he did reveal was that associate head coach/outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons was being promoted to assistant head coach and passing game coordinator.

“Coach Simmons, we’re going to change his title to add the passing game coordinator title and then also be our assistant head coach,” Riley said. “He’s been tremendous, obviously, for us. His record speaks for itself and he’s absolutely one of the premier receivers coaches in the country.

For me, he’s certainly been a guy I can lean on. Somebody I’ve got a very close relationship with and certainly one of my most trusted confidants as far as the staff, and there are several, this staff is so good. But he’s just been fantastic and a huge key to our success and felt like that was very appropriate.”

Simmons came to the Sooners coaching staff as outside receivers coach nearly six years ago in 2015 and gained the title of associate head coach in 2019. Riley termed it as him now being the “assistant” head coach rather than “associate” which is a difference that may be hard to measure but was certainly being framed as a step up.

Simmons success with Oklahoma receivers is mostly inarguable with the players that have come through since he came to Norman, and he is mostly viewed as a coach that will continue rise up the ladder in the coming years.

The Sooners will begin spring ball in roughly a month and a half from now in late March.

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Oklahoma football’s scholarship situation heading into 2020 season

There is no better way to get into the football mood than breaking down scholarships. Here is what Oklahoma’s looks like heading into 2020.

There is no better way to get into the football mood than breaking down scholarships.

Kidding, kinda.

Oklahoma is in its usual position heading into 2020 with a couple scholarships open. The Sooners sit at 83 and are already at 84 for 2021 with 13 commitments in the 2021 recruiting class.

The depth issues at running back, wide receiver and linebacker are clear, though.

Oklahoma has three scholarship running backs for the first half of 2020 and are set to lose two with Rhamondre Stevenson (who could redshirt and come back although doubtful) and Kennedy Brooks (already opted-out of 2020 season).

With the loss of Jadon Haselwood for the year (ACL) and Trejan Bridges for the first half of the 2020 season, the Sooners have four receivers with college football playing experience. The addition of UCLA graduate transfer Theo Howard is going to help and early buzz about freshman Marvin Mims will, too. Despite that, there’s a good reason wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons is looking to bring four prospects in the 2021 recruiting class.

When Caleb Kelly went down, Oklahoma was left with two inside linebackers with experience in DaShaun White and Brian Asamoah. The rumored move of David Ugwoegbu to inside linebacker makes sense for one year, but the long, athletic edge rusher fits naturally on the outside than he does inside.

What is evident is that the future along the offensive and defensive line is very stable. Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh and defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux have stocked their cupboards full of talent.

Here is what Oklahoma’s scholarship situation

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