Louisiana Tech’s 2025 Football Coaching Lineup
BleedTechBlue’s 2025 Roster Rundown kicks off Tuesday! Over the next three weeks, we’ll introduce every player on the Louisiana Tech football roster to help fans get familiar with the team ahead of the season opener against Southeastern on August 30th.
But before we break down the players, we’re starting with the coaches. The 2025 Bulldogs feature six new assistant coaches and several fresh faces among the support staff.
Let’s dive into the new-look Louisiana Tech coaching staff.
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Head Coach
Sonny Cumbie enters his fourth season as Louisiana Tech’s head coach looking to turn the corner. The Bulldogs have gone 11-26 under his leadership since he took over in 2022, a stretch marked by growing pains and inconsistency. Cumbie brought over a decade of experience as an assistant at Texas Tech and TCU (2009–2021), and he’ll aim to translate that background into more consistent results in 2025.
Offensive Staff Breakdown
OC Tony Franklin | Tony Franklin returns to Louisiana Tech in 2025 for his second stint as the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator. During his first tenure, Tech fielded one of the most explosive offenses in FBS history, averaging an eye-popping 51.5 points per game in 2012. Widely recognized for his up-tempo, spread-based “Tony Franklin System,” the veteran play-caller now faces the challenge of revitalizing a Bulldogs offense that managed just 20.9 points per game a season ago.
OL Nathan Young | Nathan Young joins Dan Sharp as one of only two assistants who have been with head coach Sonny Cumbie since his arrival in 2022. Young took over play-calling duties for the final eight games of the 2024 season, gaining valuable experience guiding the Bulldogs’ offense. Before arriving in Ruston, he served as the offensive line coach at Stephen F. Austin from 2019-2021. As a player, Young was a standout at Abilene Christian, earning Division II All-American honors twice during his collegiate career.
WR Lorenzo Joe | Lorenzo Joe enters his second season as Louisiana Tech’s wide receivers coach in 2025. In his first year on staff, Joe helped guide Tru Edwards to a breakout 2024 campaign, finishing with 989 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Before joining the Bulldogs, Joe spent six seasons at Oklahoma State, where he held multiple roles and gained valuable experience on a Mike Gundy led staff.
RB Teddy Veal | Teddy Veal enters his third season as Louisiana Tech’s running backs coach in 2025. A familiar face in Ruston, Veal began his coaching career with the Bulldogs in 2020 as a graduate assistant under former head coach Skip Holtz. The New Orleans native was promoted to a full-time assistant prior to the 2023 season. As a player, Veal was a key contributor at wide receiver, recording 144 receptions for 1,666 yards and eight touchdowns over two standout seasons in a Tech uniform.
TE/Special Teams Dan Sharp | Dan Sharp is the veteran presence on the Louisiana Tech coaching staff, bringing over 30 years of FBS experience to the Bulldogs. In 2025, Sharp takes on responsibility for coaching the tight ends for the first time, while also entering his fourth season leading Tech’s special teams unit. Under his guidance, Louisiana Tech’s special teams have consistently ranked among the best in Conference USA over the past two seasons.
Defensive Staff Breakdown
DC Luke Olson | Luke Olson begins his first season as Louisiana Tech’s defensive coordinator in 2025. Before joining the Bulldogs, Olson served as the defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State, including the 2024 season. He previously held the same role at Tulsas in 2022, bringing experience running a 3-3-5 defensive scheme — the very system Louisiana Tech deployed last season under Jeremiah Johnson. Olson’s familiarity with this defense promises continuity as he takes the reins.
DL Paul Randolph | Paul Randolph enters his first season at Louisiana Tech and brings 27 years of coaching experience to Ruston. Most recently, he spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Indiana before joining Oklahoma State’s staff in 2024. Randolph’s extensive career also includes stops at Texas Tech, Memphis, Arizona State, Pittsburgh, Tulsa, Rice, Alabama, West Virginia, Toledo, Illinois State, Valdosta State, and UT-Martin. Throughout much of his journey, he has specialized as a defensive line coach, bringing a wealth of expertise to a Bulldog defensive line room that lacks experience.
LB Josh Creech | Josh Creech begins his first season as Louisiana Tech’s linebackers coach in Ruston after coaching the 2024 season at Midway High School in Waco, Texas. While this marks his first role as a position coach at the FBS level, Creech brings experience from his time as an analyst at SMU (2018–2021) and TCU (2022–2023).
CB Carlton Buckels | Carlton Buckels begins his first season at Louisiana Tech after spending the past two seasons as the cornerbacks coach at TCU. A Louisiana native, Buckels brings over 20 years of college coaching experience to Ruston, with previous stops at Delta State, Southeastern, New Mexico State, North Texas, Baylor, and Tulsa.
S Sam Carter | Sam Carter arrives in Ruston for his first season after serving as the safeties coach at Purdue in 2024. A New Orleans native, Carter played at TCU from 2011 to 2014, earning national recognition as a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award during his senior year.
Support Personnel
Dave Scholz | Director of Sports Performance (4th season)
Brian Mayper | Football Chief of Staff (1st season)
Jacob Martinez | Director of Football Operations (4th season)
Evan Dauterive | Head Athletic Trainer
Brandon Dubuy | Equipment Manager (1st season)
Isaiah Graham | Wide Receivers Coach (3rd season)
Vincent Johnson | Assistant Offensive Line Coach (1st season)
Courtney Arnick | Assistant Linebackers Coach (1st season)
Carter Foster | Assistant Defensive Line Coach (1st season)
Colby Brown Sr. | Assistant Defensive Backs Coach (1st season)
Jay Gafford | Offensvie Analyst/Special Teams (4th season)
Donajz Dunn | Defensive Analyst (1st season)
Justin Apodaca | Scouting Specialist (1st season)
Jenna LaTour | Director of On-Campus Recruiting (1st season)
Sam Hackney | Football Operations and Recruiting (1st season)
Stephen Featherston | Football SID (2nd season)
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