Owensboro native Harris Bivin is continuing to climb the college football coaching ranks, this time departing Baton Rouge and heading to South Bend.
Bivin has spent nearly a decade in various coaching positions, most recently with Louisiana State University. The Apollo High School alumn is now joining the University of Notre Dame as Senior Offensive Analyst, working directly with the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
“There are many things to be excited about with this job,” Bivin said. “Working at the greatest university in the country, working for Coach Denbrock, and being close to family are all things I’m really excited about.”
Bivin will join his brother Hunter in South Bend. Hunter serves as the university’s Assistant Athletics Director of Alumni Engagement. Their offices are just across the road from each other.
“When he’s assisting football alumni and bringing them to the Guglielmino Complex, I’m sure he’ll stop by,” he said. “I’m really excited to be close to Hunter and my new baby niece, Mia. She’s perfect.”
Like many young professionals trying to make it as a college coach, Bivin has spent a large part of his career working many hours for little pay. After many part-time positions, side hustles, and sacrifices, Bivin now boasts 1 year of experience in the SEC and an opportunity at one of the most historic football programs in the nation.
Before heading to LSU, Bivin coached at Morehead State University in the Pioneer League. His tenure with the Eagles ended last year when he took a position at Missouri State University before jumping on the one-of-a-kind opportunity with the Tigers.
“You have to put in your time and due diligence. I’ve met many people who have helped with jobs here or there,” Bivin said. “It’s all about putting the time in, forming relationships, and doing a good job because you never know when an opportunity will present itself.”
Bivin stood out on Apollo’s offensive line before joining the Murray State Racers for the 2010 campaign. He was a four-year letter winner and a two-year captain with 30 starts in 39 games, playing on some of the Racer’s most prolific offensive teams, including the record-setting 2012 squad.
After graduating from Murray State, he played two seasons in the Arena Football League before returning to Murray as a graduate assistant. He transitioned from there to a GA position at Western Kentucky University before heading to Sanford University in Birmingham, AL.
At Sanford, he coached tackles and tight ends and got his first taste of the operations realm. He left there for this first full-time position, serving as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Dodge City Community College in Kansas. After helping transition 15 athletes to Division 1, he took a similar position at Fort Scott Community College.
He eventually landed at Morehead State University as the director of football operations and the offensive line coach before taking the position at Missouri State.
Bivin wanted to remind Owensboro athletes to stay the course and ignore the distractions and naysayers.
“Owensboro has been great. I was born and raised there, and I keep up with many people from there,” Bivin said. “You always hear about the (recruiting) hotbeds of Georgia, Texas, and Florida, but it just takes one coach to fall in love with you. You can’t just post on social media and expect it to fall into place. You have to meet people, network, perform, and more than anything, you have to work.”
