Louisiana Tech football coaching staff complete with additions of Paul Randolph, Sam Carter – Crescent City Sports

RUSTON – Louisiana Tech head football coach Sonny Cumbie announced the final two additions to his coaching staff, as Paul Randolph and Sam Carter will join the Bulldogs for the 2025 season. Randolph will coach the defensive line while Carter will lead the safeties.

Randolph comes to Ruston following a one-year stint at Oklahoma State in the same role. Randolph arrived in Stillwater after serving as the defensive line coach at Indiana for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

“I had the privilege of working with Paul at Texas Tech in 2021 and have seen first-hand his development of defensive linemen,” relayed Cumbie. “Paul has great energy and passion for teaching and coaching. Our team and players will all be better with Paul here. Excited to work with our staff as we prepare for a great 2025 season!”

He brings 27 years of collegiate coaching experience, with 24 years spent coaching the defensive line. He has spent 15 seasons at the Power Five level and has coached in 17 bowl games during his career.

Prior to his time at IU, Randolph spent three seasons as the defensive line coach at Texas Tech and coached four players to All-Big 12 honors in his stint with the Red Raiders.

Before arriving in Lubbock, Randolph coach at Memphis, Arizona State, Pittsburgh, Tulsa, Rice, Alabama, West Virginia, Toledo, Illinois State, Valdosta State and UT-Martin. More than half of his career has been spent as a defensive line coach, but he also has experience as an associate head coach, a defensive coordinator and an associate athletic director.

In addition to his work on the defensive line, Randolph has also coached linebackers and special teams.

At Tulsa, he served as executive senior associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator while he oversaw a defense that led the country in interceptions and finished third in takeaways in 2010.

While he coached defensive ends at Alabama from 2003-05, the Crimson Tide boasted one of the nation’s top defenses and led the country in scoring defense during his final season while also finishing second in total defense. He was named one of the nation’s top 25 recruiters by Rivals during his time with Alabama.

Randolph’s coaching highlights include coaching five defensive linemen to All-Pac 12 recognition in four years at Arizona State while also leading ASU to an FBS-leading 9.0 tackles for loss per game in 2012 and helping Pittsburgh rank third in the nation with 3.31 sacks per game in 2011.

Randolph started his career as the linebackers coach at his alma mater, UT-Martin, in 1998. An all-conference linebacker, Randolph earned his degree in electrical engineering technology in 1990. He played 10 seasons in the Canadian Football League with stops at Winnipeg (1988-95) and Montreal (1996-97). He served two years as a team captain and player-coach in Montreal and won the Grey Cup championships in 1988 and 1990 with Winnipeg. He was inducted into the Blue Bombers Hall of Fame in 2002.

Sam Carter joins the Bulldog coaching staff after serving as the cornerbacks coach at Purdue in 2023 and 2024. Carter arrived in West Lafayette after gaining experience throughout the SEC in stops at Missouri, Arkansas and Ole Miss.

“Sam brings a lot of experience to our staff from his playing days at TCU as a standout safety, to being on staffs at Missouri, Arkansas, Ole miss, and Purdue,” said Cumbie. “A New Orleans native, there’s no doubt Sam will bring an edge to our safeties in their play and development!

In his lone season with Ole Miss in 2022, Carter mentored cornerback Deantre Prince, who led the team with 11 pass breakups to go along with one interception.

In his two years in Fayetteville, Arkansas’ secondary displayed its dominance as a talented ball-hawking group. The Razorbacks registered 26 total interceptions since 2020, the second most in the SEC that season. Carter helped lead Arkansas to a record of 9-4 in 2021, the program’s best mark since 2011.

Carter joined the Razorbacks from Missouri, where he served as a defensive quality control and analyst for Barry Odom alongside Purdue head coach Ryan Walters. Carter helped the Tigers’ defense rank as one of the best in the nation, particularly in the secondary, in 2019. Missouri’s pass defense ranked sixth in the FBS and second in the Southeastern Conference, allowing only 179.3 yards per game.

Carter was a standout, All-Big 12 safety at TCU prior to starting his coaching career. The New Orleans native played in 49 games for the Horned Frogs from 2011-14, starting 39 including all 38 over his final three years. As a senior, he was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, a Senior CLASS Award finalist and a Senior CLASS Award Second Team All-American.

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