BALTIMORE, Md. – Morgan State football’s head coach Tyrone Wheatley added two assistant coaches to the staff in March.
Coach Wheatley and the Bears welcomed coaches Darryl Bullock and Omarr Smith to campus after conducting a nationwide search.
Bullock returns to Morgan State University where he enters his first season as coach of the Bears’ offensive linemen. He spent a three-years as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator/offensive line and tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator at Morgan State University (1996-98). In February of 1999, Bullock led Morgan’s program as the interim head coach.
Bullock brings with him decades of coaching experience at the college level.
Prior to joining Morgan State, Bullock was the offensive line coach at Dutchtown High School in the Metro Atlanta (Ga.) area in 2019.
He spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Howard University football program (2017-18), serving as the team’s offensive line coach and was named run game coordinator. In 2016, he was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Shorter University and was the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Langston University in 2015. In 2014, he served as Chowan University’s defensive line coach and run coordinator.
Bullock served as an assistant coach at Hampton from 2011-13. He was the defensive line coach in 2011 before moving over to coaching the offensive line in 2012-13. The Pirates’ run game averaged 148.1 rushing yards per game in 2012, which was fifth-best in the MEAC. That same offensive line paved the way for senior Jeremiah Schwartz to rush for 1,043 yards, leading the MEAC with 115.9 rushing yards per game and becoming the first Pirate to record a 1,000-yard rushing season since 2009.
Bullock served a stint at North Carolina Central, where he began as an offensive line coach during the 2007 season. Following the 2007 campaign, he was elevated to the rank of Assistant Head Coach, and in 2010, he was elevated to Interim Head Football Coach.
Bullock joined the Eagles after serving as offensive line/tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Tennessee State University for two seasons (2005-06). In that time, Bullock’s offensive frontline paved the way for a sophomore running back to gain 1,233 ground yards.
During the previous four seasons, Bullock served as defensive line coach at Elon University (2004), East Tennessee State University (2003) and Gardner-Webb University (2001-02). In his last season at Gardner-Webb, he coached three All-Big South Conference linemen.
As offensive line coach at the University of New Hampshire (located in Durham, N.H.), five of Bullock’s student-athletes claimed all-conference honors in just two seasons (1999-2000).
Bullock served as head football coach at Immokalee (Fla.) High School during the 1995 campaign, guiding his squad to the 4A playoffs with some help from an All-American and future N.F.L. standout named Edgerrin James.
Bullock held an offensive line coaching internship at Penn State University (1992-93) and was the graduate assistant defensive line coach at the University of Michigan (1990-91), where he earned a master’s degree in kinesiology in 1992.
Bullock received his bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 1990 from Pennsylvania State University, where he played defensive tackle. As a player for Penn State, he was a part of two consecutive trips to national championship games, including a loss to Oklahoma followed by a victory over the University of Miami in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl to win the national title.
Smith spent three seasons as the head coach of the Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League. In 2018 Smith guided the Brigade to an Arena Bowl XXXI appearance. His start in the AFL came with the San Jose Saber Cats, where he aided the team to three Arena Bowl titles between 2000 and 2008. He also participated in one season with the Tampa Bay Storm in 2003, where that team also won an Arena Bowl title.
Smith began coaching in the af2 following his 2008 season as a defensive back with the San Jose SaberCats. He served as defensive coordinator for the Arizona Rattlers and offensive coordinator/assistant head coach for his old San Jose SaberCats team. His first head coaching job came with the Los Angeles KISS in 2016, leading them to a 7-9 record. After the KISS folded, he became the head coach of the expansion Baltimore Brigade in 2017.
A native of Torrance, California, Smith attended Bishop Montgomery High School and earned all-league honors in football, basketball and track. His skills earned him a football scholarship to San Jose State University where he played all four years and recorded 13 career interceptions, the second-most in school history.
After graduating from San Jose State, Smith joined the AFL where he was a key part to three championship seasons with the San Jose SaberCats in 2002, 2004 and 2007. He was also with the Tampa Bay Storm during their championship season in 2003. Smith’s famed career ended after his 9th season in the AFL. He tallied an impressive 35 interceptions, 88 pass breakups and 8 defensive touchdowns.
As a player and assistant coach, Smith has accumulated seven Arena Bowl victories, which ties Tim Marcum as the most for any person affiliated with the AFL.
In 2019, the team finished 3-9 (2-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference). After losing 15 graduating seniors, the 2020 Bears’ roster will feature 13 seniors, 14 juniors, 28 sophomores and 16 first-years under the recently rounded out coaching staff.
The 2020 season is scheduled to kickoff on Sept. 5 at Appalachian State. The Bears will face South Carolina State for Homecoming on Oct. 17.
Courtesy: Morgan State Athletics
