Todd Bates (American football) facts for kids
Bates with Clemson in 2021.
|
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Co-defensive coordinator & defensive tackles coach |
| Team | Oklahoma |
| Conference | SEC |
| Annual salary | $700,000 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | March 12, 1983 Heflin, Alabama, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 2001–2004 | Alabama |
| 2005–2006 | Tennessee Titans |
| Position(s) | Defensive end |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2007 | Talladega HS (assistant) |
| 2008–2011 | Oxford HS (AL) (assistant) |
| 2011–2012 | Idaho State (DL) |
| 2013 | East Central CC (DL) |
| 2014–2016 | Jacksonville State (DL) |
| 2017 | Clemson (DL) |
| 2018–2019 | Clemson (DT) |
| 2020–2021 | Clemson (DT/RC) |
| 2022–present | Oklahoma (co-DC/DT) |
Todd Bates (born March 12, 1983) is a well-known American football coach. He used to play as a defensive end. Right now, he works at the University of Oklahoma. He is the co-defensive coordinator and coaches the defensive tackles. Before this, he coached at Clemson University from 2018 to 2021. Bates is also famous for being one of the best recruiters in college football. He even won an award in 2019 for being the top recruiter.
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Playing Football
Todd Bates played football at the University of Alabama from 2001 to 2004. He was a defensive end, a player who tries to stop the other team's offense. In his last year, he was a team captain. He even won an award for his great play in a game against Southern Miss. After college, he joined the Tennessee Titans professional team in 2005. He played there for two seasons. But because of injuries, he had to stop playing football.
Coaching Teams
Early Coaching Steps
Todd Bates started his coaching journey after he stopped playing. His first coaching job was at Talladega High School in Alabama. He worked there as an assistant coach. Later, he moved to Oxford High School, also as an assistant coach.
After high school, Bates coached at the college level. He coached the defensive line at Idaho State for two seasons. Then, he coached at East Central Community College for one season. He then joined Jacksonville State as their defensive line coach.
Coaching at Clemson
In 2017, Todd Bates became the defensive line coach at Clemson University. He was recommended for the job by another coach he had met. Bates quickly made a big impact at Clemson. Other coaches praised his work. He helped Clemson's defensive line become even stronger. Many of his players earned special honors in his first two seasons.
In 2020, Bates also took on the role of recruiting coordinator. This meant he was in charge of finding and bringing new talented players to Clemson. On December 14, 2021, he received a promotion. He became the assistant head coach, defensive tackles coach, and recruiting coordinator.
Coaching at Oklahoma
On January 4, 2022, Todd Bates moved to the University of Oklahoma. He was hired as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive tackles coach. This move allowed him to work again with head coach Brent Venables. They had worked together before at Clemson.
About His Life
Todd Bates is married to La'Tesa. They have four children: Angel, Josiah, and twin daughters Star and Summer. While he was playing football at Alabama, Bates started writing poetry. Some of his poems have even been featured on t-shirts and murals. He also has a website where he shares his poems.
