SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State head football coach Ryan Beard has finalized his coaching staff for the 2023 season with the addition of three new staffers and revamped duties for some of his returning assistant coaches.
 
The Bears have added assistant coaches Donte' Pimpleton (co-special teams coach and wide receivers coach) and Michael Downing (outside linebackers coach) to the fold along with new Director of Football Operations Harris Bivin.
 
"I am excited to have these outstanding coaches and mentors joining our program and our coaching staff," said Beard. "They each bring high-level experience to Missouri State, and I look forward to welcoming them to Springfield and Bears football."
 
Likewise, Beard has made the following changes to the returning coaching personnel:

• L.D. Scott – Promoted to Defensive Coordinator (remains defensive line coach)
• Reggie Johnson – Named Co-Defensive Coordinator / linebackers coach
• Ronnie Fouch – Named Co-Offensive Coordinator / running backs coach
• Kevin Elliott – Moved to safeties coach

 
New coach profiles can be found below:
 
Donte' Pimpleton
Pimpleton comes to Missouri State after spending the 2022 season at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton where he worked under former college teammate Willie Taggart. During his time at FAU, the Owls' running back coach boasted 1,000-yard rusher Larry McCammon III as part of a ground attack that averaged 184.6 yards per game.
 
Pimpleton spent the 2021 season as running backs coach at UMass where he coached the school's single-season rushing leader (1,138 yards) in Ellis Merriweather. In 2020, he was the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at North Carolina Central.
 
He was part of the Florida State staff in 2018 and 2019 as running backs coach. He was instrumental in the 2019 Seminoles team earning six All-ACC players with a bid to the Sun Bowl, while standout RB Cam Akers became a second-round NFL Draft pick to the LA Rams.
 
The Louisville native has also served as running backs coach at Oregon (2017) and USF (2015-16) in addition to two seasons on the coaching staff at Kentucky Wesleyan (2013-14). He began his collegiate coaching experience as a quality control coach at Louisville (2009) before a three-year stint under Taggart at WKU (2010-12).

He played quarterback and wide receiver at Western Kentucky following a prep career as an all-state quarterback at Louisville's Fern Creek High School. At WKU, he gained 1,425 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns and caught 13 passes for 165 yards and four touchdowns in a run-heavy offense. He helped lead the Hilltoppers to the 2000 Ohio Valley Conference championship and earned honorable mention All-Gateway Conference honors in 2001. He earned his degree in Communications at WKU in 2002.

Pimpleton also played three seasons in the Arena Football League and two more seasons in the American Indoor Football League before beginning his coaching career at the high school level.

He and his wife, Nicole, have one daughter, Anistyn.

 
Michael Downing
Downing joins the Missouri State staff after spending the 2022 season at the University of Colorado. At CU, he was a quality control specialist for the defense, assisting specifically with the secondary on coach Karl Dorrell's staff.
 
Downing came to Colorado from his alma mater, Texas Christian University, where he was a defensive graduate assistant from 2018 to 2021.  He had the distinction of being the first player hired by TCU head coach Gary Patterson immediately following his playing career.  His first year on the staff, the Horned Frogs defeated California in overtime, 10-7, in the Cheez-It Bowl.  TCU was to play Arkansas in the 2019 Texas Bowl, but it was canceled due to COVID.
 
Downing earned two degrees from TCU, his bachelor's in Marketing in 2017 and his master's in Liberal Arts in 2021.  He lettered three times at safety playing under Patterson for the Horned Frogs and led the Big 12 Conference in special team tackles in 2016 (13) and had one career interception.  In his four years on the roster, TCU was 40-13 overall; he had started his career at TCU as a walk-on but would earn a scholarship before his redshirt junior year.  TCU went bowling every year, defeating Ole Miss in the 2014 Peach Bowl, Oregon in the 2015 Alamo Bowl and Stanford in the 2017 Alamo Bowl in addition to a 2016 loss to Georgia in the 2016 Liberty Bowl.
 
A native of Alpharetta, Ga., Downing lettered in football and track at Alpharetta High and also played baseball.  
 
 
Harris Bivin
Bivin joins the Missouri State staff after spending the past two seasons at Morehead State University as offensive line coach and director of football operations.
 
In 2021, Bivin helped lead the Morehead State offensive line to rank first in the Pioneer Football League in sack frequency (1:37). Morehead State also ranked among the national leaders in passing and pass efficiency.


Bivin also served as offensive coordinator at Fort Scott (Kan.) Junior College in 2020. He spent the 2019 season as offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Dodge City (Kan.) Community College. Prior to that, he was the tackles and tight ends coach and offensive analyst for the 2018 season at Samford University after spending 2017 as an offensive line graduate assistant at Western Kentucky.
 
At WKU, he coached two all-conference offensive tackles and helped WKU to the Cure Bowl when he was on staff. He also coached a Remington Award Watch List finalist and Outland Award Watch list finalist.

He was an All-American and first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference center at Murray State where he played from 2010-13 and was a two-time team captain for the Racers. He went on to serve as a graduate assistant at Murray State in 2016-17
 
Originally from Owensboro, Ky., and an alum of Apollo High School, Bivin graduated with his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Murray State in 2014 and earned his master's degree in Intercollegiate Athletics Administration from WKU in 2019.