Dennis Simmons - Assistant Head Coach/Passing Game Coordinator/Outside Receivers - Football Coaches

Dennis Simmons

Title:
Assistant Head Coach/Passing Game Coordinator/Outside Receivers

• Named Oklahoma’s outside receivers coach on Feb. 9, 2015, and added titles of associate head coach in spring 2019 and assistant head coach/passing game coordinator in spring 2021.

• OU’s offense has been the country’s most prolific since his arrival in Norman, ranking first in scoring (44.4 ppg), total offense (546.5), yards per play (7.7), TDs from scrimmage (439), pass efficiency rating (186.5) and yards per pass attempt (10.6) over that six-year period.

• Named one of Rivals’ top-25 recruiters of 2019.

• Coached 2019 Biletnikoff Award finalist and consensus All-American CeeDee Lamb, who caught 62 passes that season for 1,327 yards (102.1 per game) and 14 touchdowns. Lamb ranked third nationally with his 21.4 yards per catch, the highest single-season figure in school history among players with at least 50 receptions.

• Pupils Marquise Brown (1,318 yards and 10 TDs) and Lamb (1,158 yards and 11 TDs) combined for 2,476 receiving yards and 21 scores in 2018. Brown earned AP first-team All-America honors.

• One of two coaches to mentor two different Biletnikoff Award winners, the most recent pupil being Dede Westbrook in 2016, who caught 80 passes for 1,524 yards (19.1 per catch) and 17 TDs. A Heisman Trophy finalist, he was also OU’s first unanimous All-American since 2004.

• Joined the Sooners after spending the previous three seasons coaching outside receivers for Mike Leach at Washington State. Was originally indoctrinated in Leach’s highly successful offensive approach while on his staff at Texas Tech.

• Washington State led all FBS schools in 2014 in passing (477.7 ypg; more than 100 more than the next closest team) as the Cougars shattered the Pac-12 record with 5,732 passing yards.

• Washington State also ranked seventh in the nation in total offense and was ninth in completion percentage in 2014. Simmons’ top pupil was Vince Mayle, a former basketball player who tied for fourth in the nation with 106 receptions, while his 1,483 receiving yards ranked fifth among FBS players.

• During the 2013 campaign, Washington State set a Pac-12 record with 470 completions as the Cougars ranked fourth in the nation by averaging 368.0 passing ypg.

• Worked with OU head coach Lincoln Riley at both Texas Tech (2008-09) and East Carolina (2010-11).

• Propelled East Carolina WR Lance Lewis to a record-setting 2010 campaign. Lewis became only the third player in school history to register a 1,000-yard receiving season as the All-Conference USA performer caught 89 passes for 1,116 yards with 14 scores.

• His initial assignment working with Leach and Riley came at Texas Tech, where he helped Michael Crabtree earn the Biletnikoff Award and consensus All-America honors in 2007 and ’08.

• Crabtree was the 10th overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft after accumulating 97 receptions for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns during his final campaign for the Red Raiders.

• In 2009, Simmons and Riley helped develop walk-on receiver Alex Torres into a freshman All-American who led the Red Raiders in receiving.

• Spent 10 years working with Leach at Texas Tech. Prior to his coaching assignment with the Red Raiders, he served as Leach’s chief of staff from 2005-07.

• Originally joined the Texas Tech program as the assistant athletics director/quality control for the football program, coordinating recruiting visits, player personnel issues, community service initiatives and other responsibilities.

• Coached running backs at Cornell University in 1999, where also held the title of assistant athletics director and chief of staff.

• A three-year starting outside linebacker at BYU, Simmons began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1997, working with the offensive line and special teams.

• Simmons, who earned a degree in broadcast communications, was a member of teams that claimed four straight Western Athletic Conference titles and made four bowl appearances.

• Served as an NFL Minority Fellowship intern with the Buffalo Bills during the summer of 1999.

• Earned his master’s degree from BYU in educational leadership in August 1999.

Accomplishments as a Player

• Three-year starter at BYU as an outside linebacker (1994-96).

• Won four WAC titles and played in four bowl games.