Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Football
Spencer, Glenn
Glenn Spencer
- Title:
- Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
• Glenn Spencer was promoted to defensive coordinator in January of 2013. He coached the Cowboy defensive line in 2008 and has coached the OSU linebackers from 2009 through the present.
• Oklahoma State has become one of the Big 12’s elite teams with Spencer on the staff, as the Cowboys have amassed an 86-31 record since he came to Stillwater. OSU won a share of the Big 12 South title in 2010 and won the Big 12 outright in 2011. The Cowboys won a BCS bowl game in 2011 with a victory over Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl and made additional appearances in what are now referred to as New Year’s Six bowl games in 2009 (Cotton Bowl), 2013 (Cotton Bowl) and 2015 (Sugar Bowl).
• Prior to Spencer’s arrival in 2008, Oklahoma State had three 10-win seasons in its football history. The Cowboys have rattled off five 10-win seasons in the last seven years with Spencer on staff.
• Oklahoma State ranks third in the nation with 39 non-offensive touchdowns since 2010 and are third in America with 200 turnovers forced since 2010. Only Houston and Oregon have forced more during that time span.
• In 2016, the Cowboys forced 25 turnovers and took two of those back for defensive touchdowns. Sixteen different OSU players were directly involved in a turnover, either by intercepting a pass or by recovering a fumble.
• Spencer’s 2015 Cowboy defense was among the most disruptive in America, ranking in the top 10 nationally in turnovers gained, defensive touchdowns and quarterback sacks and also ranking among the top 20 nationally in tackles for loss, passes intercepted and fumbles recovered.
• Three times during Spencer’s time on staff (2008-present) has Oklahoma State ranked in the top five nationally in turnovers gained (2010, 2011 and 2013). The Cowboys of 2011 led the nation with 44 turnovers gained.
• A 2013 nominee for the Broyles Award given to the nation’s top assistant coach, Spencer oversaw a significant improvement in Oklahoma State’s defense from 2012 to 2013. In Spencer’s first year as defensive coordinator, the Cowboys limited opponents to 21.6 points per game, down from 28.2 points per game the year before he took over. The Cowboys finished 2013 ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense (19th), turnovers gained (fifth), passes intercepted (third), red zone defense (seventh), pass efficiency defense (sixth), tackles for loss (16th) and third-down conversion percentage defense (seventh) just one year after ranking in the top 25 nationally in only one of those categories (tackles for loss - 25th in 2012).
• The 2013 Cowboys ranked third in school history in yards per pass attempt defense and third in pass efficiency defense. OSU’s 21 interceptions were the sixth-highest total in school history and its 60 pass breakups ranked seventh.
• Oklahoma State led the nation in turnover margin and fumbles recovered and ranked second in the nation in passes intercepted in 2011. OSU led the Big 12 in scoring defense in conference games and was 12th nationally in red zone defense.
• Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was a first-team All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, just one year after earning Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2014.
• Cornerback Justin Gilbert was an All-American and 2013 finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back. He was joined by defensive tackle Calvin Barnett and linebacker Caleb Lavey on the 2013 first-team All-Big 12 squad as chosen by the Associated Press. Linebacker Shaun Lewis was a first-team All-Big 12 honoree as selected by the Big 12 coaches.
• Under Spencer’s guidance, middle linebacker Orie Lemon exploded onto the national stage in 2010. A first-team All-Big 12 honoree, Lemon ranked third in the Big 12 and 18th in the nation with 10.2 tackles per game. His 101 solo tackles led the Big 12 and ranked third nationally. Lemon finished with 133 total tackles. In his three previous seasons combined prior to 2010, Lemon had 96 tackles.
• Before coming to OSU in 2008, he spent the previous three seasons as assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach at Duke.
• During his time with the Blue Devils, Spencer coached John Talley to first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in both 2005 and 2006. He did remarkable work on the recruiting front for Duke, helping the Blue Devils land the nation’s No. 31 class in 2005 and the No. 36 class in 2006, according to Scout.com.
• Prior to his arrival at Duke, Spencer coached the defensive line at Georgia Tech in 2002 and 2003 and served as the Yellow Jackets’ running backs coach in 2001. With Spencer coaching the defensive line, Georgia Tech ranked 12th nationally in rushing defense, 20th in total defense and 27th in scoring defense in 2003 and placed a pair of representatives on the All-ACC squad. Eric Henderson earned first-team recognition after leading the conference with 11 quarterback sacks and logging 24 tackles for loss, and Travis Parker earned honorable mention honors. In addition, Spencer coached Mansfield Wrotto to Freshman All-America honors.
• Spencer coached All-ACC tailback Joe Burns in 2001, helping Burns to become just the fifth 1,000-yard rusher in Yellow Jacket history.
• During his time with Georgia Tech, he coached the Yellow Jackets in the Silicon Valley Football Classic in 2002 and the Seattle Bowl in 2001. He helped Georgia Tech to an appearance in the 2003 Humanitarian Bowl, but did not coach in the game as he accepted the assistant head coach job at Duke following the regular season but prior to the bowl game.
• Prior to his time at Tech, Spencer spent 11 seasons at West Georgia, highlighted by a successful three-year run as head coach from 1998-2000. Spencer compiled a 28-7 record that included Gulf South Conference championships and NCAA Division II playoff appearances in 1998 and 2000. The American Football Coaches Association honored him as the NCAA Division II Region Coach of the Year in 1998 after he coached the Braves to a 10-2 record. He led the team to an 8-3 mark in 1999 and a 10-2 record in 2000 and left West Georgia with a Gulf South Conference-record .800 winning percentage.
• Spencer started his coaching career as an assistant at West Georgia in 1990. He coached the defensive line and linebackers for seven years before taking over as defensive coordinator in 1997 when the Braves captured the school’s first Gulf South Conference title while establishing a single-season school record for scoring defense. Spencer was inducted into the West Georgia Hall of Fame in the summer of 2014.
• A 1987 graduate of Georgia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in management, Spencer has two sons, Luke and Abraham. He and his wife, ESPN reporter Jeannine Edwards Spencer, were married in July of 2013.
1997: West Georgia - Defensive Coordinator
1998-2000: West Georgia - Head Coach
2001: Georgia Tech - RB
2002-03: Georgia Tech - DL
2004-06: Duke - Assistant Head Coach/Recruiting Coord./ DB
2008-pres.: Oklahoma State - DL in 2008; LB from 2009-present; Co-Def. Coord. 2011-12; Def. Coord. from 2013-pres.
2002 Silicon Valley Football Classic
2008 Holiday Bowl
2010 Cotton Bowl
2010 Alamo Bowl
2012 Fiesta Bowl
2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl
2014 Cotton Bowl
2015 Cactus Bowl
2016 Sugar Bowl
2016 Alamo Bowl
Josh Furman, Denver Broncos
Justin Gilbert, Cleveland Browns
Eric Henderson, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burns, Buffalo Bills
Orie Lemon, Dallas Cowboys
Alfred Malone, Houston Texans
Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State
Vincent Rey, Cincinnati Bengals
Gerris Wilkinson, New York Giants
• Oklahoma State has become one of the Big 12’s elite teams with Spencer on the staff, as the Cowboys have amassed an 86-31 record since he came to Stillwater. OSU won a share of the Big 12 South title in 2010 and won the Big 12 outright in 2011. The Cowboys won a BCS bowl game in 2011 with a victory over Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl and made additional appearances in what are now referred to as New Year’s Six bowl games in 2009 (Cotton Bowl), 2013 (Cotton Bowl) and 2015 (Sugar Bowl).
• Prior to Spencer’s arrival in 2008, Oklahoma State had three 10-win seasons in its football history. The Cowboys have rattled off five 10-win seasons in the last seven years with Spencer on staff.
• Oklahoma State ranks third in the nation with 39 non-offensive touchdowns since 2010 and are third in America with 200 turnovers forced since 2010. Only Houston and Oregon have forced more during that time span.
• In 2016, the Cowboys forced 25 turnovers and took two of those back for defensive touchdowns. Sixteen different OSU players were directly involved in a turnover, either by intercepting a pass or by recovering a fumble.
• Spencer’s 2015 Cowboy defense was among the most disruptive in America, ranking in the top 10 nationally in turnovers gained, defensive touchdowns and quarterback sacks and also ranking among the top 20 nationally in tackles for loss, passes intercepted and fumbles recovered.
• Three times during Spencer’s time on staff (2008-present) has Oklahoma State ranked in the top five nationally in turnovers gained (2010, 2011 and 2013). The Cowboys of 2011 led the nation with 44 turnovers gained.
• A 2013 nominee for the Broyles Award given to the nation’s top assistant coach, Spencer oversaw a significant improvement in Oklahoma State’s defense from 2012 to 2013. In Spencer’s first year as defensive coordinator, the Cowboys limited opponents to 21.6 points per game, down from 28.2 points per game the year before he took over. The Cowboys finished 2013 ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense (19th), turnovers gained (fifth), passes intercepted (third), red zone defense (seventh), pass efficiency defense (sixth), tackles for loss (16th) and third-down conversion percentage defense (seventh) just one year after ranking in the top 25 nationally in only one of those categories (tackles for loss - 25th in 2012).
• The 2013 Cowboys ranked third in school history in yards per pass attempt defense and third in pass efficiency defense. OSU’s 21 interceptions were the sixth-highest total in school history and its 60 pass breakups ranked seventh.
• Oklahoma State led the nation in turnover margin and fumbles recovered and ranked second in the nation in passes intercepted in 2011. OSU led the Big 12 in scoring defense in conference games and was 12th nationally in red zone defense.
• Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was a first-team All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, just one year after earning Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2014.
• Cornerback Justin Gilbert was an All-American and 2013 finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back. He was joined by defensive tackle Calvin Barnett and linebacker Caleb Lavey on the 2013 first-team All-Big 12 squad as chosen by the Associated Press. Linebacker Shaun Lewis was a first-team All-Big 12 honoree as selected by the Big 12 coaches.
• Under Spencer’s guidance, middle linebacker Orie Lemon exploded onto the national stage in 2010. A first-team All-Big 12 honoree, Lemon ranked third in the Big 12 and 18th in the nation with 10.2 tackles per game. His 101 solo tackles led the Big 12 and ranked third nationally. Lemon finished with 133 total tackles. In his three previous seasons combined prior to 2010, Lemon had 96 tackles.
• Before coming to OSU in 2008, he spent the previous three seasons as assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach at Duke.
• During his time with the Blue Devils, Spencer coached John Talley to first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in both 2005 and 2006. He did remarkable work on the recruiting front for Duke, helping the Blue Devils land the nation’s No. 31 class in 2005 and the No. 36 class in 2006, according to Scout.com.
• Prior to his arrival at Duke, Spencer coached the defensive line at Georgia Tech in 2002 and 2003 and served as the Yellow Jackets’ running backs coach in 2001. With Spencer coaching the defensive line, Georgia Tech ranked 12th nationally in rushing defense, 20th in total defense and 27th in scoring defense in 2003 and placed a pair of representatives on the All-ACC squad. Eric Henderson earned first-team recognition after leading the conference with 11 quarterback sacks and logging 24 tackles for loss, and Travis Parker earned honorable mention honors. In addition, Spencer coached Mansfield Wrotto to Freshman All-America honors.
• Spencer coached All-ACC tailback Joe Burns in 2001, helping Burns to become just the fifth 1,000-yard rusher in Yellow Jacket history.
• During his time with Georgia Tech, he coached the Yellow Jackets in the Silicon Valley Football Classic in 2002 and the Seattle Bowl in 2001. He helped Georgia Tech to an appearance in the 2003 Humanitarian Bowl, but did not coach in the game as he accepted the assistant head coach job at Duke following the regular season but prior to the bowl game.
• Prior to his time at Tech, Spencer spent 11 seasons at West Georgia, highlighted by a successful three-year run as head coach from 1998-2000. Spencer compiled a 28-7 record that included Gulf South Conference championships and NCAA Division II playoff appearances in 1998 and 2000. The American Football Coaches Association honored him as the NCAA Division II Region Coach of the Year in 1998 after he coached the Braves to a 10-2 record. He led the team to an 8-3 mark in 1999 and a 10-2 record in 2000 and left West Georgia with a Gulf South Conference-record .800 winning percentage.
• Spencer started his coaching career as an assistant at West Georgia in 1990. He coached the defensive line and linebackers for seven years before taking over as defensive coordinator in 1997 when the Braves captured the school’s first Gulf South Conference title while establishing a single-season school record for scoring defense. Spencer was inducted into the West Georgia Hall of Fame in the summer of 2014.
Personal
• A native of Douglasville, Ga., Spencer graduated from Lithia Springs High School before lettering four seasons as a defensive tackle at Georgia Tech from 1982-85. He helped the Yellow Jackets to a 9-2-1 mark and a 17-14 win over Michigan State in the All-American Bowl his senior year.• A 1987 graduate of Georgia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in management, Spencer has two sons, Luke and Abraham. He and his wife, ESPN reporter Jeannine Edwards Spencer, were married in July of 2013.
Year By Year
1990-96: West Georgia - DL, LB1997: West Georgia - Defensive Coordinator
1998-2000: West Georgia - Head Coach
2001: Georgia Tech - RB
2002-03: Georgia Tech - DL
2004-06: Duke - Assistant Head Coach/Recruiting Coord./ DB
2008-pres.: Oklahoma State - DL in 2008; LB from 2009-present; Co-Def. Coord. 2011-12; Def. Coord. from 2013-pres.
Bowl Games
2001 Seattle Bowl2002 Silicon Valley Football Classic
2008 Holiday Bowl
2010 Cotton Bowl
2010 Alamo Bowl
2012 Fiesta Bowl
2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl
2014 Cotton Bowl
2015 Cactus Bowl
2016 Sugar Bowl
2016 Alamo Bowl
Prominent Pupils
Anthony Hargrove, New Orleans SaintsJosh Furman, Denver Broncos
Justin Gilbert, Cleveland Browns
Eric Henderson, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burns, Buffalo Bills
Orie Lemon, Dallas Cowboys
Alfred Malone, Houston Texans
Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State
Vincent Rey, Cincinnati Bengals
Gerris Wilkinson, New York Giants
Jacie Hoyt Preseason Media Availability (9-29-2025)
Monday, September 29
Doug Meacham Previews Cowboys vs. Arizona - Oklahoma State News Conference (9-29-2025)
Monday, September 29
Hart Lee Dykes - Oklahoma State Hall of Honor 2025
Monday, September 29
Earl McCready - Oklahoma State Hall of Honor 2025
Monday, September 29
