Brendt Bedsole is in his sixth season serving as South Alabama’s director of operations and seventh overall as a member of the Jaguar football staff.
In his role, Bedsole assists with many of the program’s day-to-day activities including coordinating the budget, all aspects of travel and serving as USA’s professional scout liaison. He also has responsibilities assisting with the scheduling of preseason camp and practices, clinics and community relations projects.
As an assistant coach during the 2012 campaign, Bedsole guided USA’s outside linebackers. Under his direction, Clifton Crews collected a career-high 49 total tackles — a total that included five behind the line of scrimmage, and two sacks — while Maleki Harris added 20 to go along with a pair of forced fumbles. Bedsole was part of a defensive staff whose unit ended the year ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference in total yards allowed per game.
Bedsole came to the program after working the previous two years at Hoover (Ala.) High School as a teacher and assistant football coach. In 2007, when Bedsole served on the Buccaneer football staff, HHS reached the quarterfinals of the state 6A playoffs.
Prior to his tenure at the high school level, Bedsole spent nine years as an assistant coach at four universities. He was an assistant at Samford during the 2005 and ’06 seasons — the Bulldogs finished .500 in Ohio Valley Conference action his first year on the staff — while working at fellow OVC member Murray State the previous four falls. While at MSU, Bedsole handled a variety of responsibilities, including coaching tight ends, outside linebackers, free safeties, defensive ends, and he was the program’s special teams coordinator. The Racers won 22 games during his tenure, which included advancing to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in 2002 after they tied for the league title with a 5-1 mark — MSU tied for second with a 6-2 OVC record in 2004 as well.
Dating back to his undergraduate days, Bedsole also served on Auburn’s staff on three different occasions. He was a student assistant during the 1987 and ’88 campaigns, later working as a graduate assistant in 1997 and again from 1999-00. In those five seasons, the Tigers played in the Sugar Bowl twice, the Florida Citrus Bowl and the Peach Bowl while compiling a 43-16-2 (72.1%) overall record and a 25-11-1 (68.9%) mark in the Southeastern Conference. AU won the league championship twice and added a pair of SEC West Division titles in his time with the program.
Bedsole also worked as an assistant at Trinity (Ala.) High School — serving as head junior varsity coach as well — in 1998.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Auburn in 1989 and his master’s degree from the school in 2000. Bedsole was a walk-on for the Tigers during the 1985 and ’86 seasons, as they were 18-6 during that stretch while playing in both the Cotton and Citrus Bowls.
Bedsole — who was a corporate businessman from 1990-97 — and his wife Beth have two children, Sarah Catherine (10) and Wilson (4).
The Bedsole File
Born: Dec. 1, 1964, in Montgomery, Ala.
Education:
Auburn ’88, bachelor’s degree in exercise science
Auburn ’00, master’s degree in education
Collegiate Playing Experience:
Two years, free safety/holder, Auburn
Coaching/Administrative Experience:
Auburn — student assistant, 1987-88
Auburn — administrative graduate assistant, 1997
Trinity [Ala.] High — assistant coach, 1998
Auburn — graduate assistant, 1999-00
Murray State — assistant coach, 2001-04
Samford — assistant coach, 2005-06
Hoover [Ala.] High — assistant coach, 2007-08
South Alabama — director of operations, 2009-11; 2013- ; assistant coach, 2012
Family: Wife, Beth; One daughter, Sarah Catherine (10) and one son, Wilson (4)
