TU will begin spring practice with several new coaches on staff

After filling holes on its coaching staff, Tulsa will search for 14 new starters during spring practice

While Tulsa Football will begin trying to fill 14 starting positions this spring, the Hurricane will accomplish that task with some new faces on the coaching staff. In fact, half of the TU assistant coaches will be in their first or second year on staff.

Second-year coaches include Kendrick Shaver (safeties), Jesse Williams (defensive line) and Jayden Everett (running backs). TU will have first-year coaches at offensive line (Steve Farmer), linebackers (Craig Suits) and cornerbacks (Gary McGraw).

Farmer brings 23 years of college coaching experience, including nine seasons as an offensive coordinator. He comes to Tulsa following three seasons (2019-21) coaching the offensive front at Texas Tech.

McGraw is another experienced addition, with 18 seasons coaching on defense. He comes to TU after six seasons coaching cornerbacks and coordinating special teams at Sam Houston State.

"I'm excited about adding Gary to our football program," said Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery. "Gary pours in and invests in his players. He brings a wealth of knowledge to our defense and will be a good fit for our young men.

“With Gary, he also brings some really solid special teams experience from his previous positions. I'm thrilled about all the different tools Gary is able to bring to our program."

Craig Suits will be in his first year as a full-time assistant, but he’s been a part of the TU coaching staff in the past, spending one year as an intern and two years as the defensive quality control coach, where he worked with the linebackers.

"I'm excited to have Craig back with us. It became pretty clear that he was the right person to fill the role of coaching our linebackers," said Montgomery. "After an outstanding playing career, Craig made a smooth transition to the coaching side and showed as a defensive assistant that he undoubtedly could have a long career as a tremendous football coach."

With the coaching staff complete, Tulsa will begin spring practice on March 1 with the first of 15 scheduled practice dates, concluding with the Spring Game on April 9. TU will hold a Pro Day on March 10.

Spring ball will be crucial, as the Hurricane looks to fill several holes on both sides of the ball.

"We had a bunch of seniors that moved on,” Montgomery explained. “We have some young guys who have received playing experience, but we'll be much younger this year. Spring ball, every year, is important but this year it's going to be vital for our development."

Tuesday, March 1

Thursday, March 3

Saturday, March 5

Tuesday, March 8

Thursday, March 10

SPRING BREAK – March 12-20

Tuesday, March 22

Thursday, March 24

Saturday, March 26

*Sunday, March 27

Tuesday, March 29

Thursday, March 31

Saturday, April 2

*Sunday, April 3

Tuesday, April 5

Thursday, April 7

Saturday, April 9 (Spring Game)

*Tentative. One of those two days will be selected for practice.