Ricky Brumfield Named Special Teams Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach
December 31, 2025 | Football
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Ricky Brumfield will join the Oregon State football program as Special Teams Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach, Head Coach JaMarcus Shephard announced Wednesday.
"Ricky Brumfield arrives here at Oregon State University with a wealth of knowledge coaching multiple positions on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball," Shephard said. "He has also been an elite special teams coordinator, having taken teams from being relatively unknown to being some of the best special teams units in the country. More than anything else, Ricky is an excellent recruiter and builds elite relationships with his players. We are excited to have Ricky Brumfield."
Brumfield has more than two decades of experience coordinating special teams units at the collegiate level with stops at Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Florida International, Virginia, UTSA, Western Kentucky, Nicholls State and Fairmont State.
He has improved the overall special teams efficiency by more than 60 spots in his first year at every school he has worked. During his career at least one of his student-athletes has broken an NCAA or school record at every level he has coached.
Brumfield also has NFL experience spending 11 years at various franchises throughout his coaching tenure as part of the NFL's Minority Coaching Fellowship program.
"I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to join Oregon State under my good friend Coach Shephard, a plan that came to fruition during our time coaching together at Western Kentucky," Brumfield said. "Coach Shephard is an honest, driven leader who is building something special, and I'm grateful to work alongside him and our elite staff members.
"I'm excited to get to work by serving our players, campus, and community by doing whatever we can to win, on and off the field," Brumfield added. "My family and I are eager to entrench ourselves in the Corvallis community for years to come. Go Beavs!"
The appointment is contingent on the completion of all university hiring processes.
Brumfield spent the past season at Syracuse and helped the Orangemen rank 18th nationally in net punting yards, while redshirt freshman kicker Tripp Woody made 12 of 14 field goal attempts and all 22 extra points.
Prior to Syracuse, Brumfield spent two seasons at Georgia Tech as special teams coordinator/cornerbacks coach. In his first year with the Yellow Jackets, Brumfield coached placekicker Aidan Birr to Freshman All-American accolades after connecting on 17 of 19 field goals. His unit also blocked four kicks in 2023, the third most in the nation.
The Yellow Jackets had surrendered eight blocked kicks the year prior to Brumfield's arrival and ranked last nationally in special teams efficiency. He immediately reversed that trend and improved the unit more than 80 spots in the national rankings.
Brumfield spent the 2022 season at Florida International as the associate head coach, special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach. During that season, the Panthers ranked No. 23 nationally in special teams efficiency, improving 49 spots from their ranking the previous year. FIU also blocked three kicks, which ranked in the top 20 nationally, and did not surrender any special teams scores.
During his first year at Virginia in 2018, the Cavaliers ended a six-year stretch of losing seasons and made a huge jump in 2019 by winning the ACC Coastal Division and earning their first trip to the Orange Bowl.
In 2018, his punt unit led the ACC and ranked seventh nationally in punt return defense, surrendering 3.21 yards per return. It was a 110-spot improvement after he inherited a unit that finished 117th nationally the year prior.
His 2019 team set Virgina single-season records for kick return yards (1,204) and average (28.7), while Joe Reed was named a First Team All-American as a return man after leading the nation in kick return average. Reed concluded his college career as one of 10 players in FBS history with more than 3,000 kick return yards. Brian Delaney also broke the Cavaliers program record for kicking points in 2019 with Brumfield coaching the PAT/Field goal unit.
In addition to coordinating the special teams, Brumfield coached tight ends in 2020 and helped Tony Poljan finish seventh nationally at his position with 38 receptions and six touchdowns, despite appearing in only 10 games.
Brumfield coached the cornerbacks in addition to coordinating the special teams in 2021. Virginia never finished below .500 in Brumfield's tenure, with all four of the program's winning seasons since 2011 coinciding with his time at the program.
Brumfield spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons at UTSA as the Roadrunners' special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. In his first season in San Antonio, Brumfield helped guide the program to its first-ever bowl appearance and his special teams units set several school records, including punting average (42.0), touchbacks (27), points (79) and extra points (43).
A year later, he coached freshman placekicker Jared Sackett to USA Today Freshman All-American honors after he set a school record with 19 field goals on 22 attempts and a program record 80 kicking points. He was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, presented to the nation's top kicker. UTSA Punter Yannis Routsas was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter, making the Roadrunners one of only three schools nationally to have their kicker and punter up for both of the nation's top specialist awards. His punt unit finished sixth nationally in punt return defense in 2017, allowing just 23 total yards on returns.
Brumfield spent three seasons at Western Kentucky as the special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach, helping the Hilltoppers to a pair of bowl wins, the 2015 Conference USA Championship and a No. 24 national ranking in the final poll.
His units regularly led their conference in statistical categories including interceptions, pass efficiency defense, and kick and punt return defense. Kicker Garrett Schwettman led the nation in field goal percentage at 93.8 percent in his final season with the Hilltoppers.
He was the special teams coordinator at Nicholls State from 2011-12 when the team blocked six kicks in 2011 and ranked 14th in FCS in kick return average. Individually, Cory Kemps was sixth in the nation in punting average and Chika Madu become the program's all-time leader in kick return yards (2,076) and finished second in Southland Conference history in the category. He is also second in kick return touchdowns and fourth in kick return average in league history.
Brumfield coordinated the special teams units, and coached wide receivers, at Fairmont State from 2004-10. During that time, his team blocked five kicks, forced two turnovers, and had a pair of touchdowns in his final season. Zack Page set the NCAA Division II career records for kick return yardage, combined kick return yards, and total kick returns under Brumfield's leadership.
He got his coaching start in 2001 at Union (Ky.) College as the special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach.
Brumfield was a two-year starter at wide receiver at Utah State and helped lead the Aggies to a pair of Big West titles, while hauling in 30 receptions for 410 yards and three touchdowns in his career.
He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Utah State in 1999 and a master's degree in secondary education from Union in 2003.
Brumfield and his wife, Erin, have four children – Kyan, McKel, Tacy and Asher.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
"Ricky Brumfield arrives here at Oregon State University with a wealth of knowledge coaching multiple positions on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball," Shephard said. "He has also been an elite special teams coordinator, having taken teams from being relatively unknown to being some of the best special teams units in the country. More than anything else, Ricky is an excellent recruiter and builds elite relationships with his players. We are excited to have Ricky Brumfield."
Brumfield has more than two decades of experience coordinating special teams units at the collegiate level with stops at Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Florida International, Virginia, UTSA, Western Kentucky, Nicholls State and Fairmont State.
He has improved the overall special teams efficiency by more than 60 spots in his first year at every school he has worked. During his career at least one of his student-athletes has broken an NCAA or school record at every level he has coached.
Brumfield also has NFL experience spending 11 years at various franchises throughout his coaching tenure as part of the NFL's Minority Coaching Fellowship program.
"I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to join Oregon State under my good friend Coach Shephard, a plan that came to fruition during our time coaching together at Western Kentucky," Brumfield said. "Coach Shephard is an honest, driven leader who is building something special, and I'm grateful to work alongside him and our elite staff members.
"I'm excited to get to work by serving our players, campus, and community by doing whatever we can to win, on and off the field," Brumfield added. "My family and I are eager to entrench ourselves in the Corvallis community for years to come. Go Beavs!"
The appointment is contingent on the completion of all university hiring processes.
Brumfield spent the past season at Syracuse and helped the Orangemen rank 18th nationally in net punting yards, while redshirt freshman kicker Tripp Woody made 12 of 14 field goal attempts and all 22 extra points.
Prior to Syracuse, Brumfield spent two seasons at Georgia Tech as special teams coordinator/cornerbacks coach. In his first year with the Yellow Jackets, Brumfield coached placekicker Aidan Birr to Freshman All-American accolades after connecting on 17 of 19 field goals. His unit also blocked four kicks in 2023, the third most in the nation.
The Yellow Jackets had surrendered eight blocked kicks the year prior to Brumfield's arrival and ranked last nationally in special teams efficiency. He immediately reversed that trend and improved the unit more than 80 spots in the national rankings.
Brumfield spent the 2022 season at Florida International as the associate head coach, special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach. During that season, the Panthers ranked No. 23 nationally in special teams efficiency, improving 49 spots from their ranking the previous year. FIU also blocked three kicks, which ranked in the top 20 nationally, and did not surrender any special teams scores.
During his first year at Virginia in 2018, the Cavaliers ended a six-year stretch of losing seasons and made a huge jump in 2019 by winning the ACC Coastal Division and earning their first trip to the Orange Bowl.
In 2018, his punt unit led the ACC and ranked seventh nationally in punt return defense, surrendering 3.21 yards per return. It was a 110-spot improvement after he inherited a unit that finished 117th nationally the year prior.
His 2019 team set Virgina single-season records for kick return yards (1,204) and average (28.7), while Joe Reed was named a First Team All-American as a return man after leading the nation in kick return average. Reed concluded his college career as one of 10 players in FBS history with more than 3,000 kick return yards. Brian Delaney also broke the Cavaliers program record for kicking points in 2019 with Brumfield coaching the PAT/Field goal unit.
In addition to coordinating the special teams, Brumfield coached tight ends in 2020 and helped Tony Poljan finish seventh nationally at his position with 38 receptions and six touchdowns, despite appearing in only 10 games.
Brumfield coached the cornerbacks in addition to coordinating the special teams in 2021. Virginia never finished below .500 in Brumfield's tenure, with all four of the program's winning seasons since 2011 coinciding with his time at the program.
Brumfield spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons at UTSA as the Roadrunners' special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. In his first season in San Antonio, Brumfield helped guide the program to its first-ever bowl appearance and his special teams units set several school records, including punting average (42.0), touchbacks (27), points (79) and extra points (43).
A year later, he coached freshman placekicker Jared Sackett to USA Today Freshman All-American honors after he set a school record with 19 field goals on 22 attempts and a program record 80 kicking points. He was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, presented to the nation's top kicker. UTSA Punter Yannis Routsas was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter, making the Roadrunners one of only three schools nationally to have their kicker and punter up for both of the nation's top specialist awards. His punt unit finished sixth nationally in punt return defense in 2017, allowing just 23 total yards on returns.
Brumfield spent three seasons at Western Kentucky as the special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach, helping the Hilltoppers to a pair of bowl wins, the 2015 Conference USA Championship and a No. 24 national ranking in the final poll.
His units regularly led their conference in statistical categories including interceptions, pass efficiency defense, and kick and punt return defense. Kicker Garrett Schwettman led the nation in field goal percentage at 93.8 percent in his final season with the Hilltoppers.
He was the special teams coordinator at Nicholls State from 2011-12 when the team blocked six kicks in 2011 and ranked 14th in FCS in kick return average. Individually, Cory Kemps was sixth in the nation in punting average and Chika Madu become the program's all-time leader in kick return yards (2,076) and finished second in Southland Conference history in the category. He is also second in kick return touchdowns and fourth in kick return average in league history.
Brumfield coordinated the special teams units, and coached wide receivers, at Fairmont State from 2004-10. During that time, his team blocked five kicks, forced two turnovers, and had a pair of touchdowns in his final season. Zack Page set the NCAA Division II career records for kick return yardage, combined kick return yards, and total kick returns under Brumfield's leadership.
He got his coaching start in 2001 at Union (Ky.) College as the special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach.
Brumfield was a two-year starter at wide receiver at Utah State and helped lead the Aggies to a pair of Big West titles, while hauling in 30 receptions for 410 yards and three touchdowns in his career.
He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Utah State in 1999 and a master's degree in secondary education from Union in 2003.
Brumfield and his wife, Erin, have four children – Kyan, McKel, Tacy and Asher.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
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