Oklahoma State Hires Todd Grantham as Defensive Coordinator
Oklahoma State has its next defensive coordinator.
On Sunday, ESPN reported that Todd Grantham will be OSU’s next defensive coordinator. This move comes after OSU came to an agreement with head coach Mike Gundy to restructure his contract over the weekend.
On Wednesday, OSU fired both of its coordinators, with defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo losing his job after a subpar season. OSU finished near the bottom of the FBS in total defense, rush defense and pass defense last season en route to a 3-9 record.
This season, Grantham is working on the New Orleans Saints’ staff as a defensive line coach, a position he has held since 2023. Since beginning his coaching career in 1990, Grantham has bounced around many programs and organizations in college and the NFL as a defensive coach.
His most recent work in college came in the 2022 season when he was a defensive analyst for Alabama. Before that, he was most recently in the defensive coordinator role at Florida from 2018-21.
Throughout the 2010s, he was also a defensive coordinator at Georgia, Louisville and Mississippi State. While he was a defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns from 2005-07, most of his time on NFL staffs has been spent as a defensive line coach.
Grantham also played guard and tackle in college at Virginia Tech from 1984-88. He began his coaching career with the Hokies as well.
Grantham brings decades of experience to the OSU sideline and could be a sign of things to come. Grantham has never been with OSU in the past but has been in plenty of high-profile positions around the country. As OSU moves on from its previous coaching staff and seemingly revamps for Gundy’s 21st season, getting veteran coaches who have been in many situations could be a theme for the Cowboys.
Only time will tell if the Cowboys can improve from their 3-9 campaign next season, but hiring someone with as much experience as Grantham could be a good first step.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.