Oklahoma's Venables hires Clemson defensive analyst Ted Roof

Roof was a defensive analyst at Clemson.

by Press Release - Fri Dec 10 14:42:50 GMT-04:00 2021

NORMAN — Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables announced his first two assistant coaching hires Friday, naming Jeff Lebby as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and Ted Roof as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Roof, a 35-year collegiate coach, first became a defensive coordinator in 1995-96 at Massachusetts. He has led defenses at Georgia Tech, Duke, Minnesota, Auburn, UCF, Penn State, North Carolina State, Appalachian State and Vanderbilt during his career. He also served as head coach at Duke from 2004-07. In all, Roof has mentored 90 student-athletes who went on to the professional ranks.

Prior to his season at Clemson, Roof was the defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt in 2020 and at Appalachian State in 2019, where he helped the Mountaineers to a 13-1 record and No. 19 final AP ranking, and guided a unit that led the nation in defensive touchdowns.

His head coaching tenure came at Duke, where he served as defensive coordinator during the 2002 and '03. He was promoted to interim head coach during the 2003 season and held the position for four more years.

After his time in Durham, Roof served as defensive coordinator at Minnesota (2008), Auburn (2009-11) and Penn State (2012) before returning to his alma mater – Georgia Tech – for five seasons (2013-17). As Auburn's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, he helped guide the Tigers to at least seven wins in each of his three seasons, which included a 14-0 campaign and BCS National Championship in 2010. In the national title game, Auburn held Oregon to 19 points, which was 30 points below the Ducks' season average.

During his most recent stint at Georgia Tech, Roof helped guide the Yellow Jackets to an ACC Coastal Division title and a 2014 Orange Bowl victory over Mississippi State. The 2013 defense ranked in the top 30 nationally in points and yards allowed, and his 2015 group boasted the country's most-improved third-down defense while ranking sixth nationally in first downs allowed.

From 2008-20, Roof's defenses limited opponents to 110 or fewer rushing yards 57 times and posted a 48-9 record in such games.

Roof coached linebackers for the Yellow Jackets in 1998 before being promoted to defensive coordinator, a position he held from 1999-01. Prior to moving to Atlanta, he was defensive coordinator at Western Carolina (1997) and Massachusetts (1995-96). He coached linebackers at UMass (1994), Duke (1990-93) and West Georgia (1989).

The Lawrenceville, Ga., native was a four-year letterwinner (1982-85) and three-year starter at Georgia Tech. The linebacker earned freshman All-America honors in 1982 and was a team captain and first-team All-ACC selection as a senior in 1985 when the Yellow Jackets went 9-2-1 and beat Michigan State in the All-American Bowl. He remains among the top 10 in Georgia Tech career tackles with his 417 stops and was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 1998.

Following a brief NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Roof began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Alabama from 1987-88.

OU Head Football Coach Brent Venables on Ted Roof:

"Ted is one of the most experienced coordinators and one of the best teachers in all of college football, and he's done it in some of the premier conferences in the sport – the SEC, Big Ten and ACC. He has a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience, most of which has been in the southeastern part of the country where he is very well connected. He's been a head coach, is a fabulous recruiter and is one of the most revered players in Georgia Tech history from his time as a linebacker there. We're fortunate to have a person of his stature lead our defense, and he's going to make us stronger and tougher on that side of the ball."

New OU Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof:

"There have been so many great coaches, players and tough-minded competitors who have made up all the championship teams that have been part of the incredible Oklahoma tradition. For me, it is an honor and a privilege to serve on an OU football staff under the strong leadership of Coach Venables. I have a tremendous amount of admiration and respect for him both as a man and a coach. He's got a long track record of success, molding championship teams and maximizing student-athletes' football abilities. But he gives them much more than that. He equips them with the tools and helps them develop the successful habits that will make them champions off the field for the rest of their lives. Brent gets that. He understands the privilege and responsibility that goes with it."