Sam Gooding begins his first season as an assistant coach with the SMSU football program in 2017 and will serve as the team’s running backs coach.
Prior to SMSU, Gooding spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons as an assistant coach at Dakota State University (S.D.). In 2015, he oversaw tight ends and coached one all-conference tight end and helped an offense set school records in both scoring and total yards. In 2016, he served as offensive line coach and special teams coordinator. He coached three all-conference linemen and an all-conference kicker and punter.
Gooding started his coaching career at the University of Illinois, spending three seasons (2012-14) as a student assistant coach and recruiting assistant.
Gooding earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 2015, while earning a master’s degree from Dakota State in 2016.
