Oklahoma State Hires Paul Randolph as New Defensive Line Coach

Mike Gundy doesn’t make changes to his staff all that often, but the Cowboys will enter 2024 with a new man heading their defensive line room.

Oklahoma State on Thursday announced the hiring of Paul Randolph as the Cowboys’ new defensive line coach. Randolph has spent the pas two seasons at Indiana. Prior to his time in Bloomington, Randolph has spent time at Texas Tech, Memphis, Arizona State, Pittsburgh, Tulsa, Rice, Alabama, West Virginia, Toledo, Illinois State, Valdosta State and UT-Martin. OSU alum Greg Richmond had been the Cowboys’ defensive line coach since 2018.

Randolph has 26 years of college coaching experience, including 14 at the Power Five level. Along with coaching defensive linemen, Randolph has spent time at various stops as an associate head coach and a defensive coordinator.

In three seasons at Texas Tech, he assisted four defensive linemen to earning All-Big 12 honors. Five Arizona State defensive linemen earned All-Pac-12 honors in Randolph’s four seasons in Tempe. With the Sun Devils in 2012, Randolph led a group that led the country in tackles for loss per game with 9.0. His Pitt defense in 2011 was third in the nation in sacks per game with 3.31.

A graduate of UT-Martin, Randolph spent 10 seasons playing linebacker in the Canadian Football League, winning a pair of Grey Cups.

Richmond was a player at Oklahoma State from 2000 to 2003. He earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2003 and is tied with Collin Oliver four fifth in program history with 21.5 sacks. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles out of college before returning to Stillwater to be an assistant strength coach in 2007 and 2008. After working his way up the coaching ladder, Richmond returned to the program in 2018 as the defensive line coach.

OSU’s Defensive Staff

Bryan Nardo — Defensive coordinator
Joe Bob Clements — Co-defensive coordinator/linebackers
Tim Duffie — Defensive passing game coordinator/corners
Dan Hammerschmidt — Safeties
Paul Randolph — Defensive line

Randolph’s Experience

1998 — UT-Martin, linebackers
1999 — Valdosta State, defensive line
2000 — Illinois State, defensive line/special teams
2001 — Toledo, defensive line/special teams
2002 — West Virginia, defensive line/special teams
2003-05 — Alabama, defensive ends
2006 — Rice, assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers
2007-10 — Tulsa, executive senior associate head coach/co-defensive coordinator/defensive line
2011 — Pitt, executive associate head coach/co-defensive coordinator/defensive line
2012-15 — Arizona State, associate head coach/co-defensive coordinator/defensive line
2016-18 — Memphis, defensive line
2019-21 — Texas Tech, defensive line
2022-23 — Indiana, defensive line