OU football announces new hires for front office workers under the new general manager Jim Nagy

 The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department officially announced on Monday, June 9, 2025, several key football staff hires under new General Manager for Football Jim Nagy. These appointments, pending OU Board of Regents approval, signify a significant step towards a more professionalized model of college football for the Sooners.

Jim Nagy, who joined the Sooners in February 2025, has assembled a front office staff with a blend of NFL and collegiate experience, aiming to enhance the program’s talent evaluation, acquisition, and retention efforts.

“This is an exciting time for Oklahoma Football,” said Nagy in a press release. “It has been a deliberate process building the first front office in program history and I couldn’t be happier with how it came together. We have a great blend of diverse backgrounds and complementary skill sets from both the NFL and collegiate levels and we feel the cumulative evaluation experience will give us a competitive advantage moving forward.”

The newly announced front office staff includes:

• Lake Dawson, Senior Assistant General Manager: Dawson brings over 25 years of NFL scouting and front office experience. A former wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts, he held various roles with the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans (where he was Vice President of Player Personnel), Cleveland Browns, and Buffalo Bills. He also holds an MBA and is pursuing a doctorate degree.

• Taylor Redd, Assistant General Manager: Redd spent six years in the New England Patriots scouting department as a scouting assistant and area scout. He also served as the director of player personnel and NFL liaison at Wake Forest, and was a graduate assistant and recruiting assistant with the Demon Deacons.

• Drew Hill, Director of Scouting: Hill, entering his 12th season at OU, transitions into this new role after serving the previous 11 years as the Sooners’ director of player personnel under Bob Stoops, Lincoln Riley, and Brent Venables. His career also includes stints with the Atlanta Falcons’ scouting department and football operations roles at Southern Miss and Fresno State.

• Kale Pearson, Director of High School Scouting: A Tulsa native, Pearson previously served as the football general manager at the U.S. Air Force Academy, overseeing their recruiting department and acting as an NFL liaison. He was also a quarterback and team captain at Air Force.

• Stacey Ford, Director of Player Personnel and Retainment: Ford joins OU after spending the last three years in FBS recruiting offices, including as director of player personnel at UCLA and director of recruiting at Washington State. He also has experience as a player personnel scout intern with the Oakland Raiders and as a high school coach.

• Charlie Parkinson, Assistant Director of College Scouting: Parkinson previously worked with Jim Nagy as a scouting assistant for the Reese’s Senior Bowl and has experience with The 33rd Team and Wake Forest.

Collectively, Nagy and his newly assembled staff bring a combined 60 years of collegiate football experience and 67 years of NFL experience. Teams they were associated with have participated in 36 bowl games and nine Super Bowls, winning five Super Bowl titles.

Nagy also credited Head Coach Brent Venables for his support during this transition, stating, “The buy-in from Brent and his coaches has been tremendous.” Venables has expressed that Nagy’s addition has alleviated many responsibilities related to talent acquisition and retention, allowing him to focus more on coaching.

In addition to the front office hires, OU also announced Jonathan Gress as the new Head Football Athletic Trainer. Gress, a Norman native, spent the last five years with the New Orleans Saints and previously worked with the Miami Dolphins and the University of Arizona.

This restructuring of the football program’s administrative and scouting functions highlights Oklahoma’s commitment to adapting to the evolving landscape of college football, particularly concerning NIL, the transfer portal, and overall roster management.