RAPID CITY, S.D. – Head Football Coach Charlie Flohr and the South Dakota Mines football staff has filled its previously vacant offensive coordinator and wide receivers coaching position.

Following Ryan Gent's departure for Northwest Missouri State, the position had been vacant for much of the spring, however, as of Monday an experienced addition comes to the South Dakota Mines campus in Ryan Freeman ahead of the spring game scheduled for Saturday, April 20 at 1:00 p.m.

Gent's tenure from 2020-2023 was a successful one with several high-powered offenses and Freeman looks to sustain and elevate the offense even further.

"I am extremely excited to have Coach Freeman join our football staff at South Dakota Mines," said Flohr. "The thing I was impressed with the most during the interview process was his overall passion for the game of football, he is a football guy. He has had experience at all levels in a wide variety of roles at each of the institutions he has been a part of and had success at each. Ryan was highly recommended from some of the top offensive minds in college football today, is an excellent teacher of the game and will be able to relate extremely well with our student-athletes."

"I'm excited to join the Hardrocker family and continue the growth of the program into one of the premier football teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and Division II," said Freeman. "I love the Black Hills and it's a place I've always wanted to get back to and can't wait to get started."

Freeman has over a decade of collegiate coaching experience, most recently spending his time at Division I University of Memphis as an Offensive Research Analyst (ORA)1. In 2023, while also serving as assistant quarterbacks coach, he helped the offense to being on of the top in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision), the top tier of Division I programs as they averaged 39.4 points per game (Sixth FBS), 10th in passing (306.5 yards per game) and 14th in total offense (458.8 yards per game).

In 2022, Freeman's first at Memphis, he was charge with being the assistant tight ends coach in addition to ORA, but still left his mark on the offense, coaching them to top 30 FBS ranks in scoring offense (21st, 35.3 points per game), passing offense (21st, 279.2 yards per game), and red zone scoring (26th, 88.9%).

Before heading to the American Athletic Conference program, Freeman was at Marshall University, an FBS program in Conference USA from 2018-21 as an offensive graduate assistant/wide receivers coach where he guided them to bowl games in each of his four years along with a Conference USA East Division Championship in 2020.

The Herd were number 16 in total offense (456.8 yards per game) and number 18 in passing offense (294.4 yards per game) among FBS programs in 2021.

Coached Brenden Knox to Conference USA MVP honors following the 2019 season when he rushed for 1,284 yards and 11 touchdowns, following it up with another Conference USA All-Conference First Team selection in 2020.

In 2020, Grant Wells earned Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors while in 2018 Isaiah Green earned the same award under Freeman's tutelage.

Tyre Brady and Marcel Williams earned conference USA honors in 2018, earning All-Conference First Team and honorable mention accolades.

Josh Ball (4^th Round Draft Pick – Dallas Cowboys), Tyre Brady, Brenden Knox, Willie Johnson, Alex Mollete and Will Ulmer all became NFL players after being coached by Freeman.

Before jumping to the FBS ranks, Freeman spent the 2017 season as the wide receivers coach for Rocky Mountain College. In that season, the offense put up 30.2 points per game to come in third in the Frontier Conference.

Darneil Jenkins, a wide receiver for Rocky Mountain got an NFL opportunity with the Philadelphia Eagles thanks in part to the development provided by Freeman.

Became the youngest offensive coordinator in all of college football when he was hired at 25 by Kentucky Christian University in 2015 and spent two seasons there also serving as quarterbacks coach.
As a program, they broke 16 offensive school records while he was on staff.

In 2016, Tre Ross earned All-Mid South All-Conference First Team as a wide receiver, while in 2015 the offensive line allowed just 16 sacks, 21st in the NAIA (National Intercollegiate Athletic Association).

Oklahoma Baptist University was Freeman's first full-time position as the wide receivers coach/video coordinator when he spent the 2014 season with the program.

Oklahoma Baptist set 19 school records on offense that season were third in the NAIA in points per game (43.5) and yards per game (479).

Derek Serowski and Nyko Symonds earned all-conference honors that season.

Additional stops while Freeman was a student included Black Hills State University (wide receivers, 2013), University of Wyoming (offensive student assistant, 2011-12) and South Dakota State University (defensive student assistant, 2008).
In addition to his collegiate experience, Freeman spent time at Westmoore High School (inside wide receivers, 2010) and Southmoore High School (running backs/cornerbacks, 2009).

Freeman graduated from Black Hills State University Freeman graduated from Black Hills State University in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in general studies before earning a master's degree from East Central University in sports administration.

THE FREEMAN FILE

Personal

Year at South Dakota Mines: First
Hometown: Moore, Oklahoma
Education: Black Hills State University, 2014 – B.S. General Studies; East Central University, 2017 – M.S. – Sports Administration
Family: Son: Mason

Coaching Career
2024-pres. – South Dakota School of Mines (Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
2022-2023 – University of Memphis (Offensive Research Analyst)
2018-2021 – Marshall University (Offensive Graduate Assistant/Wide Receivers)
2017 – Rocky Mountain College (Wide Receivers)
2015-2016 – Kentucky Christian University (Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
2014 – Oklahoma Baptist University (Wide Receivers/Video Coordinator)
2013 – Black Hills State University (Wide Receivers)
2011-2012 – University of Wyoming (Offensive Student Assistant)
2010 – Westmoore High School (Inside Wide Receivers)
2009 – Southmoore High School (Running Backs/Cornerbacks)
2008 – South Dakota State University (Defensive Student Assistant)
 
Bowl Games/Postseason As A Coach

• 2023 Liberty Bowl
• 2022 First Responder Bowl
• 2021 Louisiana Bowl
• 2020 Camellia Bowl
• 2020 Conference USA Championship
• 2019 Gasparilla Bowl
• 2018 Gasparilla Bowl

About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 13 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.