Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Getting to know new OC Brent Dearmon
2/13/2021 8:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee made a big splash this offseason with the hiring of former Kansas offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon.
The young upstart coach has helped revolutionize how the game is played at the collegiate level, leading a fast-paced offensive attack centered on the run-pass option. Dearmon led the NCAA's highest scoring offense in 2018 (55 points per game) as head coach at Bethel and has had the opportunity to learn from some of the best college football has to offer in Les Miles and Gus Malzahn.
GoBlueRaiders.com had a chance to catch up with Dearmon to talk about his newest venture with Middle Tennessee.
*GBR denotes GoBlueRaiders.com, BD denotes Brent Dearmon.*
GBR: Talk about how this opportunity came about for you.
Dearmon: The desire to come back closer to home has always been there for me. I've met Coach Stockstill, played against Mike Polly when he was at Georgetown and I was at Bethel and I've gotten to know Brent Stockstill the past couple of years through clinics. Between knowing those guys and the want and desire to come back closer to home is what helped us really make that connection.
GBR: You grew up learning the game under a very blue-collar style of coaching with your dad being a long-time offensive line coach in the state of Alabama. How much has that mentality impacted your career and helped you mold your philosophy as you've gone from place to place?
Dearmon: The style of offense I run and the way I coach my quarterbacks is a little bit different than most because I grew up in an o-line coach's household. I had to understand the blocking that happened in front of me and the holes that opened in front of me (when I was a player). I understand technique with the offensive line better than most other quarterback guys do because of the way my dad raised me. Being around football my whole life has been a big influence in my life. It's what I love to do, and it's in part because it's what my dad did his whole life.
GBR: You took a job as a head coach in Mobile at just 26 and your first head coaching position just a few years ago. Now, you're going into your second stint as an FBS offensive coordinator, which is certainly unique for a guy your age. Are there any similarities that you took from being a young coach in some of those other positions that you've been able to apply to what you're doing now?
Dearmon: I'm a firm, deep-South, Bible-belt believer. It's how I was raised and I know that God has brought me through every job and path for a reason. Taking a job as a head coach at 26 years old, looking back on it, I don't think I was ready. Being there two years and fighting the fights I fought and dealing with the pressure prepared me for that next step. Getting the head job at Bethel at 33 years old, I look back on it and it was an experience that prepared me for that next moment in life. Every single step along my journey has gotten me ready for the next door the Lord has opened.
GBR: You've had the opportunity to work with Gus Malzahn and Les Miles and have talked a lot about working under former Auburn running backs coach Tim Horton. What are your biggest takeaways from working under those guys?
Dearmon: Every one of them is different. (Malzahn) is probably the brightest offensive mind that I've ever had the chance to be around. In the two years I was there, I was like a sponge. I tried to soak up as much offensive football as I could. What we're going to see at (MTSU) is about 60-65% of what Gus liked to do.
Tim Horton was the guy I worked directly underneath at Auburn. He's the salt of the Earth. He's one of the greatest people I've ever been around, and he helped me to become the recruiter I am. He helped me with relationships and showed me how to take care of people and talk to recruits. I call him for life advice all the time.
With Coach Miles being a hall of fame coach, the way he goes about his day-to-day life is off a big schedule. He knew the way they did it in 1999 and 2008. He stayed as close to those schedules his entire career. He's also a calm guy. I'm passionate on the sidelines, but he's always been so calm on the sidelines.
I've learned so much from those three individuals.
GBR: Can you explain your offense in a nutshell?
Dearmon: We draw a lot from the Malzahn system. We're an 11-personnel team, which is different than what Middle has been recently. Middle has been a 10-personnel team with four wide receivers most of the game. You're going to see more tight ends and H-back-type bodies in the game. We're based off of running the football. Our quarterback is going to make us right in a lot of cases with the RPO. We're going to call a run play, and he's going to hand it off, hit the open receiver, put a player in conflict or he's going to run the football. That's the different area that separates us from most other teams. We're still going to run the base drop back that most other teams in the country do, as well.
GBR: You've talked about how in the past your practice structure has been set up to where everything is done in two-minute stints. I know you've also said that you like to be hands-on as a coach. How do you balance both the up-tempo practice styles and giving yourself time to be able to sit back and coach your players?
Dearmon: I am a detail-oriented guy in the film room. I spent five years teaching math as a high school coach. I have a math degree. I see the world in formulas, so that's how I coach and teach. Once we hit the field, it's all learning by fire. It's all throw them in the pit and see what they can do. We put them through as fast of a rep as possible, and we will correct things the next day on tape. We're going to fly around like our hair is on fire during practice.
GBR: How much of a chance have you had to sit down and evaluate the personnel coming back on the offensive side of the ball and what stands out to you about what you have coming back?
Dearmon: We have some o-linemen that have gained experience early, so I'm looking forward to seeing those guys take the next step. I think we're really deep at the running back position-getting the guys that opted out last year and the guys that played last year back will make it a deep position for us. We've got to find a tight end, H-back-type body because there just hasn't been one for so many years now. We're going to play with three receivers on the field, and I think we're overloaded with talent in that receiver room because they're used to playing with four. It's going to be my job to develop a quarterback and make things work. Overall, I'm really excited about the roster we have coming back.
GBR: When you look at this coaching staff, there's a lot of FBS experience, not just as assistants but head coaches. How exciting is it to be able to pick these guys' brains and just to be able to work alongside them and under Coach Stockstill every day?
Dearmon: I've already started to try and take advantage of (the experience on the staff). Being able to walk down the hall and rub shoulders with Coach (Tommy) West, talk with Coach (Scott) Shafer, talk with Coach Stockstill, with all of the Power 5 head coaching experience these guys have, it's awesome. They know that I'm about to bring my family here and have been more than willing to help out. Their wives have reached out to my wife to help her feel welcome. It's just been an unbelievable few weeks to have all these guys with this much experience help me through this moving process and welcome me here.
GBR: I know you're a very goal-oriented guy. What kind of goals do you have for the offense this offseason?
Dearmon: Our first short-term goal is uncommon discipline. We want to develop guys that do the right things every single day. Before we even get into a game, we're going to talk about how to attack the field, sprinting on and off the practice field. We're going to have our helmets buckled in team settings. All 50 offensive players are going to do the little things that are uncommon discipline.
The second thing is creating a physical and mental edge. It's about how we attack the weight room, how we attack the field, how we do the extra things. We want to raise guys that are relentless competitors. We want to put these guys in situations daily where they have to compete and react to competing. The next step is learning the base offense. Before we even get to game one, these are the things we have to do.
GBR: As you and your family get acclimated to Murfreesboro and MTSU, what do you look forward to most as you get ready to start this journey?
Dearmon: I'm ready to get into the meeting room with the players and see their knowledge. I'm ready to sew some seeds in their life, not just on the field but off the field. I want to plug into the guys academically, mentally and emotionally with everything I have. I want to bring my wife and kids around the team so they get to see that I'm human and I get to be a father and husband, as well. My wife has had a great relief getting to be close to her family. Her sister is in Clarksville, Tennessee, and her mother is in Huntsville, Alabama, which is where my wife and I met. I know she is just so happy to be closer to home.
Anthony Fiorella is a writer for GoBlueRaiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @a_fiorella74 and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
The young upstart coach has helped revolutionize how the game is played at the collegiate level, leading a fast-paced offensive attack centered on the run-pass option. Dearmon led the NCAA's highest scoring offense in 2018 (55 points per game) as head coach at Bethel and has had the opportunity to learn from some of the best college football has to offer in Les Miles and Gus Malzahn.
GoBlueRaiders.com had a chance to catch up with Dearmon to talk about his newest venture with Middle Tennessee.
*GBR denotes GoBlueRaiders.com, BD denotes Brent Dearmon.*
GBR: Talk about how this opportunity came about for you.
Dearmon: The desire to come back closer to home has always been there for me. I've met Coach Stockstill, played against Mike Polly when he was at Georgetown and I was at Bethel and I've gotten to know Brent Stockstill the past couple of years through clinics. Between knowing those guys and the want and desire to come back closer to home is what helped us really make that connection.
GBR: You grew up learning the game under a very blue-collar style of coaching with your dad being a long-time offensive line coach in the state of Alabama. How much has that mentality impacted your career and helped you mold your philosophy as you've gone from place to place?
Dearmon: The style of offense I run and the way I coach my quarterbacks is a little bit different than most because I grew up in an o-line coach's household. I had to understand the blocking that happened in front of me and the holes that opened in front of me (when I was a player). I understand technique with the offensive line better than most other quarterback guys do because of the way my dad raised me. Being around football my whole life has been a big influence in my life. It's what I love to do, and it's in part because it's what my dad did his whole life.
GBR: You took a job as a head coach in Mobile at just 26 and your first head coaching position just a few years ago. Now, you're going into your second stint as an FBS offensive coordinator, which is certainly unique for a guy your age. Are there any similarities that you took from being a young coach in some of those other positions that you've been able to apply to what you're doing now?
Dearmon: I'm a firm, deep-South, Bible-belt believer. It's how I was raised and I know that God has brought me through every job and path for a reason. Taking a job as a head coach at 26 years old, looking back on it, I don't think I was ready. Being there two years and fighting the fights I fought and dealing with the pressure prepared me for that next step. Getting the head job at Bethel at 33 years old, I look back on it and it was an experience that prepared me for that next moment in life. Every single step along my journey has gotten me ready for the next door the Lord has opened.
GBR: You've had the opportunity to work with Gus Malzahn and Les Miles and have talked a lot about working under former Auburn running backs coach Tim Horton. What are your biggest takeaways from working under those guys?
Dearmon: Every one of them is different. (Malzahn) is probably the brightest offensive mind that I've ever had the chance to be around. In the two years I was there, I was like a sponge. I tried to soak up as much offensive football as I could. What we're going to see at (MTSU) is about 60-65% of what Gus liked to do.
Tim Horton was the guy I worked directly underneath at Auburn. He's the salt of the Earth. He's one of the greatest people I've ever been around, and he helped me to become the recruiter I am. He helped me with relationships and showed me how to take care of people and talk to recruits. I call him for life advice all the time.
With Coach Miles being a hall of fame coach, the way he goes about his day-to-day life is off a big schedule. He knew the way they did it in 1999 and 2008. He stayed as close to those schedules his entire career. He's also a calm guy. I'm passionate on the sidelines, but he's always been so calm on the sidelines.
I've learned so much from those three individuals.
GBR: Can you explain your offense in a nutshell?
Dearmon: We draw a lot from the Malzahn system. We're an 11-personnel team, which is different than what Middle has been recently. Middle has been a 10-personnel team with four wide receivers most of the game. You're going to see more tight ends and H-back-type bodies in the game. We're based off of running the football. Our quarterback is going to make us right in a lot of cases with the RPO. We're going to call a run play, and he's going to hand it off, hit the open receiver, put a player in conflict or he's going to run the football. That's the different area that separates us from most other teams. We're still going to run the base drop back that most other teams in the country do, as well.
GBR: You've talked about how in the past your practice structure has been set up to where everything is done in two-minute stints. I know you've also said that you like to be hands-on as a coach. How do you balance both the up-tempo practice styles and giving yourself time to be able to sit back and coach your players?
Dearmon: I am a detail-oriented guy in the film room. I spent five years teaching math as a high school coach. I have a math degree. I see the world in formulas, so that's how I coach and teach. Once we hit the field, it's all learning by fire. It's all throw them in the pit and see what they can do. We put them through as fast of a rep as possible, and we will correct things the next day on tape. We're going to fly around like our hair is on fire during practice.
GBR: How much of a chance have you had to sit down and evaluate the personnel coming back on the offensive side of the ball and what stands out to you about what you have coming back?
Dearmon: We have some o-linemen that have gained experience early, so I'm looking forward to seeing those guys take the next step. I think we're really deep at the running back position-getting the guys that opted out last year and the guys that played last year back will make it a deep position for us. We've got to find a tight end, H-back-type body because there just hasn't been one for so many years now. We're going to play with three receivers on the field, and I think we're overloaded with talent in that receiver room because they're used to playing with four. It's going to be my job to develop a quarterback and make things work. Overall, I'm really excited about the roster we have coming back.
GBR: When you look at this coaching staff, there's a lot of FBS experience, not just as assistants but head coaches. How exciting is it to be able to pick these guys' brains and just to be able to work alongside them and under Coach Stockstill every day?
Dearmon: I've already started to try and take advantage of (the experience on the staff). Being able to walk down the hall and rub shoulders with Coach (Tommy) West, talk with Coach (Scott) Shafer, talk with Coach Stockstill, with all of the Power 5 head coaching experience these guys have, it's awesome. They know that I'm about to bring my family here and have been more than willing to help out. Their wives have reached out to my wife to help her feel welcome. It's just been an unbelievable few weeks to have all these guys with this much experience help me through this moving process and welcome me here.
GBR: I know you're a very goal-oriented guy. What kind of goals do you have for the offense this offseason?
Dearmon: Our first short-term goal is uncommon discipline. We want to develop guys that do the right things every single day. Before we even get into a game, we're going to talk about how to attack the field, sprinting on and off the practice field. We're going to have our helmets buckled in team settings. All 50 offensive players are going to do the little things that are uncommon discipline.
The second thing is creating a physical and mental edge. It's about how we attack the weight room, how we attack the field, how we do the extra things. We want to raise guys that are relentless competitors. We want to put these guys in situations daily where they have to compete and react to competing. The next step is learning the base offense. Before we even get to game one, these are the things we have to do.
GBR: As you and your family get acclimated to Murfreesboro and MTSU, what do you look forward to most as you get ready to start this journey?
Dearmon: I'm ready to get into the meeting room with the players and see their knowledge. I'm ready to sew some seeds in their life, not just on the field but off the field. I want to plug into the guys academically, mentally and emotionally with everything I have. I want to bring my wife and kids around the team so they get to see that I'm human and I get to be a father and husband, as well. My wife has had a great relief getting to be close to her family. Her sister is in Clarksville, Tennessee, and her mother is in Huntsville, Alabama, which is where my wife and I met. I know she is just so happy to be closer to home.
Anthony Fiorella is a writer for GoBlueRaiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @a_fiorella74 and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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