REPORT: Oregon State Targeting Experienced Special Teams Coach Ricky Brumfield
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Changes are reportedly coming to the Valley Football Center.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard is targeting ex-Syracuse special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield for the same role at Oregon State.
Last season, Syracuse special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield helped the Orange rank 18th among all FBS schools in net punting yards. In the same category, Oregon State ranked dead last, 134th.
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Last week, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown fired Brumfield, despite significant improvement to the team’s beleaguered special teams units. This season, Brumfield platooned long-snappers Ethan Strangle & Fran Brown Jr. He also split kicking reps between Jadyn Oh (on kickoffs) and Tripp Woody (on field goals). Oh’s successful onside kick against Clemson, which he credited to Brumfield, helped the Orange earn a road upset at one of the ACC’s top programs. Woody, a redshirt freshman, will likely lock down his position long-term after netting 12-of-14 field goal tries (with a long of 49 yards) and all 22 extra point attempts.
From 2023-24, Brumfield coached at Georgia Tech, until the Yellow Jackets abruptly fired him mid-season.
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His time in Atlanta was preceded by special teams stints at Florida International (2022), Virginia (2018-21), UTSA (2016-17), and Western Kentucky (2013-15). While coaching the Hilltoppers, Brumfield overlapped with Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard for three seasons. Interestingly, Shephard spent the 2015 season coaching special teams while Brumfield coached the school's cornerbacks.
A potential role in Corvallis would mark a Pac-12 homecoming for Brumfield, who played wide receiver at Utah State in the late nineties. He made 30 catches for 410 yards and three touchdowns in his time playing for the Aggies from 1995 to 1998 under head coaches John Smith and Dave Arslanian.
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