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Baylor to add Troy OC Ryan Pugh as offensive line coach

January 5, 2021
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WACO, Texas – Ryan Pugh has been hired as an assistant coach, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda announced Tuesday. Under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, Pugh will coach the offensive line.

“Ryan is an up-and-coming coach,” Aranda said. “He’s a family man and he is a leader. Ryan has great football intelligence and great communication skills. More than that, I am impressed with the quality of person that he is. I also have a great appreciation for the way that he has been able to inspire his players, and build strong, cohesive and aggressive offensive lines. We are excited for Ryan to join us.”

Pugh comes to Baylor from Troy, where he served as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 2019-20. He reunites with Grimes whom he worked under as offensive line coach at BYU in 2018, and as a graduate assistant at Auburn, Virginia Tech and LSU.

In his two seasons as offensive coordinator at Troy, Pugh engineered an offense that topped the 500-yard mark in total offense on seven different occasions and scored 35-plus points 12 times. In 2019, the Trojans finished ninth nationally in passing offense (313.2), 25th in scoring offense (33.8) and 18th in total offense (456.3).

Under Pugh’s guidance, Troy had 10 All-Sun Belt honorees on offense including five offensive linemen.

In his first season at BYU, the Cougars improved their scoring output by more than 10 points per game, their rushing total by more than 20 yards per game and their total offensive output by more than 39 yards per game. BYU finished 35th nationally with 27 rushing touchdowns on the season after finding the end zone just 12 times on the ground before Pugh's arrival. Additionally, center James Empey earned Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America honors, Brady Christensen earned Freshman All-America (second team) honors and tackle Austin Hoyt was named to the Phil Steele All-Independent Team.

Prior to joining the staff at BYU, Pugh spent the previous two seasons (2016-17) at UTSA coaching the offensive line. Pugh started his career with stints as a graduate assistant at Auburn (2012), Virginia Tech (2013), Cincinnati (2014) and LSU (2015).

A four-year letterwinner at Auburn from 2007-2010, Pugh earned All-America honors as a senior and was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy. He was a three-time All-SEC selection and was the starting center for the Tigers’ 2010 national championship team.

A native of Hoover, Alabama, Pugh graduated cum laude with his bachelor’s degree in building science from Auburn in 2012. He is married to the former Cathey Lee Dalton and the couple has two daughters, Etta Graceyn and Ellen James.

Discussion from...

Baylor to add Troy OC Ryan Pugh as offensive line coach

16,084 Views | 43 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by Timbear
Brian Ethridge
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9:07a, 1/5/21
WILLIS
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9:12a, 1/5/21
Timbear
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10:40a, 1/5/21
Awesome and Legit.
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boognish_bear
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12:12p, 1/5/21
Aranda is not messing around....love these hires.
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BluesBear
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12:58p, 1/5/21
Hoover Alabama - this guy has football in the blood. He is gonna bring in some mean tough SOB lineman who will knock some boys on their ass.

Great hire. Welcome to Central Texas.....
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Bearicade
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1:48p, 1/5/21
I would love to hear the words come out of Grimes' and Pugh's mouths when they turn on the BU OL tape from this past year.
I know you believe you understand what I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant!
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boognish_bear
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In reply to Bearicade • 2:06p, 1/5/21
Bearicade said:
I would love to hear the words come out of Grimes' and Pugh's mouths when they turn on the BU OL tape from this past year.
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Yogi
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In reply to Bearicade • 2:31p, 1/5/21
Bearicade said:
I would love to hear the words come out of Grimes' and Pugh's mouths when they turn on the BU OL tape from this past year.
"Smarter than the Average Bear."
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Mitch Henessey
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9:24p, 1/5/21
Pugh played all 5 spots at Auburn and was widely regarded as a mean SOB. If our OL can take on his personality, I think we'll be in good shape.
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Chamberman
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5:08p, 1/6/21
Welcome Coach. We need you.
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whitetrash
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8:43p, 1/6/21
Not so fast my friend.
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Mitch Henessey
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In reply to whitetrash • 8:49p, 1/6/21
whitetrash said:
Not so fast my friend.
Say more...
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GShack
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8:50p, 1/6/21
Adios
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boognish_bear
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8:53p, 1/6/21
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Baylor3216
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9:04p, 1/6/21
Seems he pulled a sheet off his roomie in college while he was spooning his shorty
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DanaDane
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9:12p, 1/6/21
Strange. Very strange.
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HTXBears
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In reply to Baylor3216 • 9:13p, 1/6/21
Is this really what happened?
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BellCountyBear
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In reply to Baylor3216 • 9:13p, 1/6/21
Baylor3216 said:
Seems he pulled a sheet off his roomie in college while he was spooning his shorty
Please translate.
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boognish_bear
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In reply to HTXBears • 9:17p, 1/6/21
HTXBears said:
Is this really what happened?


He's referencing an old incident that took place with a transfer player at BU during the time that Grobe was taking over.
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Timbear
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9:20p, 1/6/21
O for goodness sake! You have got to be kidding! Something 12 years ago, no crime. Keep Pugh. Baylor strikes again.
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BayouCity
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9:26p, 1/6/21
Another Baylor site said that it was Baylor's decision to move on - not the other way around. I'm not completely sure what to think.
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boognish_bear
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9:29p, 1/6/21
I'm sure we will find another good candidate. It's also reassuring knowing that OL is one of Grime's specialities.
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PartyBear
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9:32p, 1/6/21
I assume what people are saying is he had a sexual misconduct incident in his past? How would a poster here even know that if that is the proper translation?
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GShack
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9:36p, 1/6/21
Apparently some old things surfaced that don't fly in the current environment. I personally think it is overblown.
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Timbear
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9:39p, 1/6/21
There's only been one perfect person to walk on the face of the earth, and it's not Aranda or anyone at Baylor. Until we give young adults credit for growing up, and not keep punishing someone for a youthful prank, our future could always be in question. The Baylor Puritans are good at harshly judging someone, but not forgiving someone with a second chance.
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Mitch Henessey
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9:41p, 1/6/21
Blackface. Why the eff would you ever do that? It's not like he's a vaudeville actor and this was the 40s-50s. This was 2010. What a dumbass
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whitetrash
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In reply to Mitch Henessey • 9:43p, 1/6/21
Mitch Henessey said:
Blackface. Why the eff would you ever do that? It's not like he's a vaudeville actor and this was the 40s-50s. This was 2010. What a dumbass
Unless you're the democrat governor of Virginia.
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DanaDane
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10:07p, 1/6/21
That popped up with a simple Twitter search. Someone failed at their job at Baylor. Why on earth wasn't this found BEFORE you make a hiring announcement?
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boognish_bear
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In reply to DanaDane • 10:24p, 1/6/21
DanaDane said:
That popped up with a simple Twitter search. Someone failed at their job at Baylor. Why on earth wasn't this found BEFORE you make a hiring announcement?


Agree with this....isn't it hiring 101 these days to do a social media search before an offer. Big dropped ball.

Wonder if he had already signed his contract....and if so were they able to back out without owing him anything.

Can't remember what program he came from....wonder if they will take him back?
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boognish_bear
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10:27p, 1/6/21
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Green&GoldStandard
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In reply to Chamberman • 10:04a, 1/7/21
Chamberman said:
Welcome Coach. We need you.

Guess we didn't need him after all.
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Baylorbears111
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In reply to Green&GoldStandard • 10:48a, 1/7/21
Green&GoldStandard said:
Chamberman said:
Welcome Coach. We need you.

Guess we didn't need him after all.


Life comes at you fast.
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BUbackerinET
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In reply to Timbear • 5:40p, 1/7/21
The very thing that drives people from the church, and a direct contradiction of the teachings of Christ. Just a bunch of hypocrites! (Includes the "sin" of blackface)
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boognish_bear
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6:00p, 1/7/21


Baylor AD addresses sudden reversal on Ryan Pugh hire

By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
Updated 3:53 PM; Today 3:48 PM
Baylor athletics director Mack Rhoades shed some light Thursday on the school's sudden reversal on hiring Ryan Pugh as its offensive line coach.

Rhoades gave an interview Thursday with radio host Matt Mosley of ESPN Central Texas in Waco. Among the topics addressed was the hiring/un-hiring of Pugh, and Rhoades implied something in Pugh's background check gave Baylor officials pause.

"Because it's a personnel issue, I'm going to be very sensitive around this," Rhoades said. "But obviously, when you make a hire, you do an extensive amount of due diligence including professional background checks, and not just background checks, but phone calls, conversations, all those things. After we had done all those things, and after we had announced the hire, there were just some things where we felt like we needed to go in another direction. That's probably the best way that I can explain it."

Bears head coach Dave Aranda announced Tuesday that he'd hired Pugh, the former Auburn center and Troy offensive coordinator. Then late Wednesday, Aranda announced Pugh was no longer a member of his staff.

"Since the recent announcement of Ryan Pugh as Baylor's OL coach, we have decided to move in a different direction," Aranda said in a statement. "We are currently in the process of filling the resulting vacancy. We wish Ryan the best in his future endeavors."

Pugh left Troy after two seasons as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach to re-join newly hired Bears offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, on whose BYU offensive staff he'd served in 2018. Pugh, who played his high school football at Oak Mountain, Spain Park and Hoover, was the starting center on Auburn's 2010 national championship team, on which Grimes was offensive line coach.

AL.com reached out to Troy officials for clarification on Pugh's status with the Trojans, but thus far has received no reply. His bio still appears on the school's official athletic website.

Troy head coach Chip Lindsey told the Dothan Eagle in a story published Thursday that he wasn't dismissing the idea that Pugh could return to his staff.

"Obviously I'm very close to Ryan and we'll see how all of that plays out," Lindsey said. "I'm not going to rule out anything, but I will say at the same time we're in the process of trying to find an O-line coach.

"We just need the right fit who can continue to build on what we've got. We had a young offensive line and they got tremendously better as the season went on. We'll take our time and get the right guy."

You can hear the full Mack Rhoades interview HERE. He addresses the Pugh situation beginning at around the 13:25 mark.
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PartyBear
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6:50p, 1/7/21
They decided after they made the hire and announced it that they felt some of the stuff they found before he was hired made them uncomfortable or in the alternative they had not finished these phone calls etc (back ground checks before they hired and announced? What he said about this doesnt make alot of sense. Either way it doesnt look like this was handled correctly. Either they hired him before they finished back ground checks or they made up their mind after they hired and announced him that what they found was uncomfortable.
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