Arizona State coach Todd Graham added former Oklahoma coach Jackie Shipp to his football staff Tuesday, naming him defensive line coach, the same position he held for the Sooners.
Shipp takes the place of departed co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Ron West, who left for North Carolina earlier this month, though co-defensive coordinator Paul Randolph will now coach linebackers. Additionally, safeties coach Chris Ball has been promoted to co-defensive coordinator.
"I could not have found a candidate who was a better fit for what we need at this time," Graham said in a statement. "Jackie is one of the best defensive-line coaches in college football, and our linemen will benefit from his leadership and mentoring.
"We just became a better football program with the appointment of Jackie Shipp."
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops dismissed Shipp two weeks ago after 14 seasons, during which he coached in four national championship games. He played linebacker for the Sooners from 1980-1983, twice earning All-Big Eight Conference honors before being drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft.
Shipp played six seasons in the NFL and began his coaching career in 1991 as linebackers coach at Langston University. He followed with defensive line coaching stints at Central Missouri (1992), Tennessee-Martin (1993) and Southern Illinois (1994-1996) and spent two seasons as a coaching intern in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers (1995) and Minnesota Vikings (1996-1997). He returned to the college ranks coaching defensive line at Northeast Louisiana (1997) and Alabama (1998) before joining Stoops' first staff in Norman.
Shipp also has been recognized for his recruiting prowess, earning a Top 25 national recruiting ranking from Rivals.com in 2009.
"He’s a top-flight recruiter with contacts in the states of Oklahoma, Texas and California," Graham said. "He will recruit all areas for us, with special emphasis on the state of California."
Ball's promotion comes after a season that saw ASU's secondary rank third nationally in passing defense and 10th in pass efficiency defense.
