MORGANTOWN —
Offensive line assistant Bill Bedanbaugh’s exit from the West Virginia University football coaching staff to the same job with Oklahoma became official Sunday as the Sooners announced his hiring.
One would expect WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen to move quickly on hiring a replacement, as the move of his former college teammate to the Sooners has been public knowledge for almost two weeks.
This is the fourth vacancy Holgorsen has had to fill this offseason, having fired both cornerback coach Daron Roberts and linebacker coach Steve Dunlap and having had quarterback coach Jake Spavital take a similar job at Texas A&M.
Holgorsen brought back former WVU assistant Tony Gibson to coach the corners, former assistant Lonny Galloway to coach wide receivers and former East Carolina defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell to coach cornerbacks.
“We are excited to welcome Bill and his family to the University of Oklahoma,” Sooner coach Bob Stoops said in the school’s official release. “Bill is a passionate teacher and a demanding coach who I believe will make an immediate impact on our football team. His track record of developing physical and disciplined offensive linemen makes him an excellent fit for our program. Bill is also an accomplished recruiter who will join the rest of our staff in continuing to attract some of the nation’s most talented student-athletes to Oklahoma.”
Entering his 18th season in the coaching profession, Bedenbaugh coached the offensive line the past two seasons at West Virginia as the Mountaineers set single-season school records for total offense (6,526 yards in 2012) and passing (4,509 yards in 2011).
In 2012, the West Virginia offense ranked fifth in the nation in pass efficiency (161.97), ninth in scoring (39.5 ppg), 10th in total offense (502.0 ypg) and 10th in passing offense (330.2 ypg). Bedenbaugh was also named one of the nation’s top 50 recruiters by 247Sports.com this year.
“Our family is thrilled about the opportunity to join Coach Stoops and his staff at the University of Oklahoma,” said Bedenbaugh. “I have a great admiration for the championship tradition of Oklahoma football and can’t wait to get on the field with our student-athletes this spring. I’ve admired the Sooners for many years, and possess a great appreciation for the talent on this roster and coaching staff.”
Bedenbaugh previously worked four seasons under current OU associate head coach/defensive coordinator Mike Stoops at the University of Arizona. He served as co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach in 2010 after working as running game coordinator/offensive line coach for the Wildcats from 2007-09.
The St. Charles, Ill., native enjoyed a seven-year stint coaching under head coach Mike Leach at Texas Tech from 2000-06. Bedenbaugh served as a graduate assistant/offensive line coach from 2000-02. He coached running backs from 2003-04 before tutoring the offensive line for the Red Raiders from 2005-06.
A 1995 graduate of Iowa Wesleyan, Bedenbaugh served as a four-year letterwinner playing under Leach. He began his career coaching the offensive line at Oklahoma Panhandle State (1995) and Valdosta State (1996) before serving as a graduate assistant/offensive line coach at Central Michigan (1997-98).
He also enjoyed a one-year stay as offensive line coach/running game coordinator at Ferris State (1999), where he was named NCAA Division II Coordinator of the Year after helping lead an offense that registered a division-best 534 yards per game.
Bedenbaugh has coached in 12 bowl games during his collegiate tenure, including the 2012 Orange Bowl with West Virginia. He and his wife, Maryde, have a son, William, and a daughter, Lacy.
Email Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @bhertzel.
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