OFFENISVE COACHING STAFF
JUNIOR ADAMS | Offensive Coordinator/Wide ReceiversJunior Adams, who comes to The Hill after three seasons at Boise State, serves as WKU's offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach.
At Boise State, he served as the Broncos' passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2016 and coached wide receivers on the blue turf since 2014. Under his direction, Boise State's wide receivers flourished and set records on a seemingly annual basis.
In 2016, Boise State posted the first pair of 1,000-yard receivers in school history in Thomas Sperbeck and Cedrick Wilson. Boise State joined the Hilltoppers in 2016 as one of only four schools in the nation with a pair of 1,000-yard receivers. Sperbeck finished his career at BSU as a two-time first-team All-Mountain West Conference honoree and the school's career leader in receiving yardage with 3,601 while his 2015 marks of 88 catches for 1,412 yards either set or tied the school's single-season record. Sperbeck's 224 career receptions also ranked fourth in program history while his 1,272 yards this past season trailed only his 2015 record in the books. He was also the first Boise State receiver to post two 80-catch seasons.
Boise State's passing game finished No. 15 nationally in 2016, averaging 298.3 yards per game while ranking No. 9 in passer rating at 161.38 and No. 7 in yards per attempt (9.6). Adams also helped to develop Wilson into one of the nation's top big play threats as his 20.2 yard per catch average ranked No. 8 nationally.
Adams' evolution as an offensive mind draws from not only the Boise State tree, but also from his five seasons as wide receivers coach at Eastern Washington under noted offensive mind Beau Baldwin. Regularly mentioned as one of the top passing teams in college football, the Eagles went to the FCS playoffs in four of the five seasons Adams was on staff and won the 2010 FCS National Championship with consecutive appearances in the semifinals each of his final two seasons (2012-13). In each of Adams' five seasons with the Eagles, the team finished in the top-10 nationally in passing offense four of five times including a No. 1 overall finish in 2011 with a staggering 368.4 passing yards per game.
In 2013, the Eagles ranked fourth-nationally in the FCS in passing offense (349.8) and had two receivers ranked in the top-10 nationally in receiving yardage. Then-freshman Cooper Kupp led the nation in receiving yards with 1,691, the fourth-most in FCS history, while senior Ashton Clark ranked sixth with 1,233 yards. Kupp went on to become just the second freshman wide receiver since 1990 to earn first team FCS All-America honors (Randy Moss, 1996), and was also the recipient of the Jerry Rice Award, given annually to the top freshman in the FCS. Kupp's 14-consecutive games with a receiving touchdown also broke the FCS record.
Kupp went on to enjoy a breakout year in 2015 as he won the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in the FCS, and was named the national offensive player of the year by both STATS LLC and FCS ADA. He set FCS career records for receiving yards, touchdowns and receptions.
A former All-American wide receiver himself, Adams developed three other 1,000-yard receivers while at EWU including Brandon Kaufman who, in 2010, broke the FCS receiving yardage record with 1,850 yards. In 2012, as Kaufman was set to graduate, two of his fellow senior receivers had also recorded 1,000-yard seasons in their careers under Adams' direction including Nicholas Edwards and Greg Herd in 2011.
The 2004 graduate of Montana State with a degree in sociology, Adams has also received multiple grants as a part of the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship which has given him the opportunity to work at summer training camps with NFL teams including the Oakland Raiders (2010), Indianapolis Colts (2011) and Minnesota Vikings (2012).
A native of Fremont, Calif., Adams got his start in collegiate coaching at Montana State where he coached receivers and kick returners from 2004-06. In 2007, he coached the same positions at Prosser High where he worked with Tom Moore, father of former Boise State and current NFL quarterback Kellen Moore. The Mustangs went 14-0 that season and won the WIAA 2A State Championship. Adams also spent one season at Chattanooga (2008) before returning to the Northwest and beginning his path at EWU.
STEVE SPURRIER JR. | Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks
Steve Spurrier Jr. serves as WKU's assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach after a one-year stint with Oklahoma where he worked in an off-field role as a recruiting and offensive specialist, particularly with offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, whose offense ranks No. 3 nationally in 2016, averaging over 550 yards and 44 points per game. Spurrier's work at Oklahoma also included time with quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Dede Westbrook, both finalists for the 2016 Heisman Memorial Trophy.
Spurrier Jr.'s collegiate coaching career has included 15 postseason bowl games, including the Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl, as well as five conference championships (three SEC and two Big 12) and two national championships (Oklahoma, 2000; Florida, 1996).
Prior to his time in Norman, Spurrier spent 11 seasons at South Carolina on his father's staff as the Gamecocks' wide receivers coach. He added titles of passing game coordinator in 2009, recruiting coordinator in 2011 and co-offensive coordinator in 2012. During his time in Columbia, the Gamecocks went to nine bowl games and his pupils featured future NFL stars Sidney Rice, Alshon Jeffery and Kenny McKinley. He won the 2000 national championship as a part of Bob Stops' staff as the Sooner's wide receivers coach and in 1996 as a graduate assistant at Florida.
Under Spurrier Jr., Jeffery developed into one of South Carolina's all-time greatest receivers, setting school records for career receiving yards (3,042) and 100-yard receiving games (12), and tying the school record for touchdown catches with 23 in 2011. Jeffery's All-America sophomore season (2010) earned him a spot as a Biletnikoff finalist as he tallied a single-season school record 1,517 yards.
Spurrier was also invested in the development of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Pharoh Cooper, a fourth round draft pick in 2016. During Cooper's sophomore season (2014), he set the school's single-game receiving yards record with 233 and was named the 2014 Independence Bowl MVP for a nine catch, 170-yard performance against Miami.
The South Carolina record book is littered with receivers coached by Spurrier. On top of Jeffery and Cooper, McKinley become South Carolina's all-time leader in receptions (207) and receiving yards in 2008 before Jeffery broke his yardage record three seasons later. Prior to joining his father at South Carolina, Spurrier spent one season at the University of Arizona (2004) under head coach Mike Stoops. He spent two seasons as wide receivers coach in the NFL with the Washington Redskins (2002-03) where he coached Laveranues Coles to a 2003 Pro Bowl season with 82 receptions for 1,204 yards.
Before moving into the NFL ranks, Spurrier was a part of Bob Stoops' rebuilding project at Oklahoma which culminated with a perfect 13-0 record and national championship in 2000. He spent three seasons as the Sooners' wide receivers coach, working with Sooner standouts Mark Clayton and Josh Norman.
A native of Palo Alto, Calif., Spurrier Jr. played collegiately at Duke where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1994. While working as a graduate assistant at Florida, Spurrier added his master's in 1996.
Spurrier Jr. and his wife, the former Melissa Beauchamp, are the parents of triplets, Luke, Gavin and Emmaline; Nolan; twins, Palmer and Hayden, and McKinley.
MIKE SANFORD SR. | Special Teams Coordinator/Running BacksPrior to taking the post at Indiana State, Sanford spent one season as the Assistant Head Coach at Utah State under former coach Gary Andersen where he also mentored the running backs and tight ends. During the 2012 campaign, the Aggies ranked 26th nationally in Total Offense (460.5 ypg.) and 36th in scoring offense (34.4 ppg.) Running back Kerwynn Williams earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors after leading the conference in all-purpose yards (163.0 ypg.) and rushing (106.4 ypg.).
No stranger to the Bluegrass State, Sanford spent two seasons at Louisville as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach (2010-11) following a five-year run as the head coach at UNLV (2005-09). His 2008 Rebels upset No. 13 Arizona State and tied for the top redzone scoring offense (.950) in the nation, matched only by Ohio State, while allowing just 1.2 sacks per game, the 15th-best mark nationally. During his time at UNLV, 29 players earned All-MWC honors including 2007 MWC Defensive Player of the Year Beau Bell and 2006 MWC Freshman of the Year Ryan Wolfe. Casey Flair set a school record and tied a MWC mark with 47 consecutive games with a reception in Sanford's offense.
Sanford spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Utah under Urban Meyer as the Utes went 22-2 and won consecutive bowl games and Mountain West Conference championships, including the 2005 Fiesta Bowl over Pittsburgh to cap the 2004 season in which Utah finished undefeated and ranked No. 4 by the Associated Press. Quarterback Alex Smith went on to become the No. 1 overall draft pick in that year's NFL Draft, the second No. 1 overall draft pick Sanford helped developed (Keyshawn Johnson, 1996, USC).
Prior to Utah, Sanford was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Stanford (2002), after a three-year run in the NFL as the wide receivers coach of the San Diego Chargers (1999-2001). Sanford's collegiate coaching stops include Notre Dame, USC, Purdue, Long Beach State, VMI and Army.
At his alma mater, USC, Sanford coached the wide receivers from 1989-96, a stretch which included the development of No. 1 overall draft pick, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson (1996) by the New York Jets. Johnson was a consensus All-American both years at USC (1994-95) and earned MVP honors of the 1995 Cotton Bowl and 1996 Rose Bowl. Johnson was the third first-round selection coached by Sanford at wide receiver, joining Curtis Conway (1992) and Johnnie Morton (1993).
As an assistant coach, Sanford has participated in 11 bowl games with four programs including the Rose and Cotton bowls. He began his coaching career at USC in 1977 as a graduate assistant during John Robinson's first stint at USC. In 1978, he earned his first full-time coaching position as the defensive coordinator at San Diego City College.
A native of Los Altos, Calif., Sanford played collegiately at USC from 1973-76. Sanford and his wife, Melinda, are the parents of Lindsay and Mike, and the grandparents of six.
GEOFF DARTT | Offensive LineUnder Dartt's direction as offensive coordinator, Mount Union finished with a top-5 offense three times including the top offense in the nation in 2014 and led the country in First Downs Offense each of his four seasons as offensive coordinator. In 2014 and 2015, behind the play of quarterback Kevin Burke -- the Gagliardi Trophy winner, given to the top player in Division III -- the Raiders posted the No. 1 scoring offense. Dartt also coached his center, Mitch Doraty, to consecutive DIII Rimington Awards in both 2015 and 2016.
With Dartt on staff at Mount Union, the program went 70-4 with four consecutive appearances in the Stagg Bowl, two national championships and four conference championships.
Prior to returning to Mount Union, Dartt spent four seasons (2008-11) as an assistant coach at Wheaton (Ill.) College where he spent the first two seasons working exclusively with the offensive tackles and tight ends before transitioning to offensive line coach for his final two seasons. While at Wheaton, he also coordinated video operations, coordinated the offense for the junior varsity team and was an assistant strength coach.
The Port Clinton, Ohio native was a three-year letterman along the offensive line at Mount Union and won national championships as a player in 2002, 2005 and 2006 while adding All-OAC honors in 2007. During the 2005 and 2006 national championship seasons, Dartt's offensive coordinator and position coach was Matt Campbell who went on to enjoy a four-year run as head coach at Toledo (35-15, 24-8) and is now at Iowa State.
Dartt and his wife, the former Jan Kehres, are expecting their first child in February. He earned his degree in health and physical education in 2008 from Mount Union.
HARRIS BIVIN | Offensive Graduate AssistantBivin, a native of Owensboro and former No. 1 overall prospect in Kentucky, came to WKU after spending the 2016 season at his alma mater, Murray state. A standout lineman for the Racers, Bivin appeared in 39 games over his collegiate career at center from 2010-13 and started the final 27 consecutive games of his career, including the final five of 2011 before starting every game in both 2012 and 2013.
After his college career, Bivin spent one season in the AFL with both Tampa and Los Angeles before returning to Apollo where he spent a season as an assistant coach and teacher.
MATTHEW MITCHELL | Offensive Graduate AssistantMitchell came to WKU after two seasons at Notre Dame where he worked as an offensive intern and analyst. During the 2015 season, Mitchell worked primarily with the quarterbacks as an offensive intern under head coach Mike Sanford.
A former wide receiver at Wheaton (Ill.) College (2010-14), Mitchell was a two-year starter and helped led the team to two Division III playoff berths in 2010 and 2014 and capture a pair of College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin titles (2012, 2014). As a junior, the Los Altos, Calif., native led the team in receptions (39) and receiving yards (399).
A 2014 graduate of Wheaton College in communications, he is married to the former Megan Campbell.