Oklahoma Sooners Football / Q&A with Washington State Expert on Dennis Simmons

First of all we would like to thank Britton K Ransford (@BKRansford) of  Wazzuwatch.com for taking time out of his busy schedule to help Sooner fans get to know Dennis Simmons. We hit him up with some questions that would help Sooner fans get to know their new WR coach, and he more than delivered. Below is a transcript of our Q&A session.

CCM: For the Sooner fans who really don't know much about Simmons, what are some things that we should know as he begins his tenure in Norman?

Britton: Simmons is a passionate coach, and a darn good one at that. He knows the Air Raid offense in and out, and really connects with his players. He cares about the kids he coaches and recruits, and will, in my opinion, be an offensive coordinator relatively soon. He's a quality coach that will be missed on the Palouse.

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CCM: What should Sooner fans expect regarding Simmons as a recruiter? What are his primary recruiting areas? What type of impact should we expect?

Britton: Simmons was one of the Cougars' top recruiters, focusing mostly on the Los Angeles area, but he also did some spot-recruiting, too. For example, he went into Oklahoma and flipped Dahu Green from Louisville, but we all know how that ended up. He also recruited Texas a little bit. As for his impact on recruiting, he'll be able to recruit with the best of them. He is like a big brother to the players he recruits, and that translates to college as a coach. He pulled some top talent to WSU.

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CCM: How would you rate Simmons ability to develop players at the WR position?

Britton: Simmons is as good as it gets when it comes to developing receivers. A prime example is Vince Mayle, who was playing college basketball just four years. Simmons found Mayle at a JUCO in California and fended off the likes of LSU, Ohio State, West Virginia and others for the massive receiver. It took Mayle awhile to catch on at the D1 level, but with Simmons' teaching, he became one of the most dominant receivers in the country this season, in what was his third year of competitive football. He'll do good things in Norman with those receivers.

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CCM: Simmons obviously has ties with the current Sooner coaching staff, but how do you see him fitting in at Oklahoma?

Britton: Simmons will fit in fine in Oklahoma. He's a personable guy and he'll get a chance to be closer to his family. He obviously has a connection to Lincoln Riley and will bring a ton of experience in the Air Raid offense to the Sooners staff.

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CCM: If you have ever had the ability to interview/interact with Simmons what were your impressions of him?

Britton: Very impressive. He's professional, funny, down-to-earth and extremely knowledgeable, which I think is a trait that all of Leach's former assistants bring with them.

Further Britton recommended this article for all Sooner fans

http://seattletimes.com/html/cougarfootball/2024334369_wsufootballallison18xml.html

Thanks again to Wazzuwatch.com for helping us with this article.