Patterson Adds Three to ACU Football Staff

ACU head football coach Keith Patterson, fresh off agreeing to a three-year contract extension in January, has announced the addition of three individuals to his staff:

Sam Bennett has been hired as the Wildcats' defensive coordinator and spent the past three seasons at fellow Texas FCS program UIW.
 
The Cardinals went 9-2 in 2023, and 11-3 in 2024 when they reached the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. Bennett coached an All-Southland linebacker in each of his three seasons: Tylan Foster (1^st Team, 2023), Mister Williams (2^nd Team, 2024), and Declan Williams (1^st Team, 2025).
 
Bennett's path first crossed with Patterson and current ACU linebackers coach Conor Dubin when he worked as a graduate assistant at Arizona State. Bennett was a two-year letterwinner at SMU under his father Phil Bennett, who was the defensive coordinator at Arizona State in 2017 which was the final year Patterson and Dubin were on staff at ASU. Phil Bennett was head coach at SMU from 2002-07, and also a defensive coordinator at Baylor, Texas A&M, TCU, Kansas State, Pitt and, most recently, North Texas from 2021-22.
 
Coach Patterson on Sam Bennett…
"He just brings a knowledge of defense from that perspective and has varied experiences in this profession from defense to special teams. He's got a holistic view of football and when it comes to a great fit because of the connections that we have had with him and his family over the years, it just makes for a good chemistry and great continuity."
 
Sam Bennett, defensive coordinator
2025 – UIW, co-defensive coordinator / linebackers / academic coordinator
2023-24 – UIW, linebackers / academic coordinator
2022 – UNT, senior defensive analyst
2021 – Hawaii, offensive tackles / tight ends
2020 – Hawaii, offensive line / run game coordinator
2019 – Arizona Cardinals, coaching assistant
2018 – Arizona State, offensive analyst
2016-17 – Arizona State, graduate assistant
2014-15 – Rice, graduate assistant
 
Justin Sinz has agreed to join Patterson's staff as the offensive line coach after spending one season as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Division III member St. Scholastica (Minn.), and 10 seasons at Purdue – one as tight ends coach, six as offensive analyst / quality control, and three as a graduate assistant. He also was an assistant recruiting coordinator during that time.
 
Sinz coached with current ACU offensive coordinator Graham Harrell and tight ends coach Stanton Keane while at Purdue. Sinz played at Purdue as a tight end from 2011-14 and went on to sign as an undrafted free agent to the Indianapolis Colts in the spring of 2015.
 
Coach Patterson on Justin Sinz…
"I'm just big on chemistry and when you have connections and ties to people and you've worked with people, you know what you're getting. In my conversations with Justin it was very apparent he comes from a coaching family much like myself. He is a great fit for ACU. Sometimes conversations tend to be a little bit forced, but it was very easy talking with Justin about what we're trying to do here."
 
Justin Sinz, offensive line
2025 – St. Scholastica (Division III, Minn.), offensive coordinator / offensive line
2024 – Purdue, tight ends
2023 – Purdue, offensive analyst
2021-22 – Purdue, assistant recruiting coordinator / quality control
2019-20 – Purdue, quality control
2015-17 – Purdue, GA

Broderic Odom joins the Wildcats as the new director of football operations. Odom has been on the football coaching staff at East Central (Okla.) for the past six years. Odom's uncle, Barry, has been the head coach at Purdue since 2025, and has also led the programs at Missouri (2016-19) and UNLV (2023-24). Odom's father, Brad, is currently the director of recruiting at Purdue. 

Early in Patterson's career, he coached against Brad and Barry Odom as high school coaches. The Odom family is from Maysville, Okla., which is about 40 miles from Patterson's hometown of Marlow, Okla. Broderic Odom played one season at the Air Force Academy before transferring to East Central, Patterson's alma mater.

Coach Patterson on Broderic Odom…
"He's another one of those guys; he is extremely intelligent, and he just understands how football operations work. He also has a very high football IQ and he is going to be a tremendous asset for our overall program."
 
Broderic Odom, director of football operations
2023-25 – East Central, inside LB
2020-22 – East Central, student assistant defensive coach