Donte’ Pimpleton enters the 2026 season as the Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach at Bethune-Cookman, continuing to shape the Wildcats’ offense after initially arriving as co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach. During his tenure in Daytona Beach, Pimpleton has helped develop a more disciplined and efficient unit, highlighted by the program’s least-penalized team on record in 2023, which led the SWAC in fewest penalties. That same season, Jimmy Robinson III ranked among the league’s top rushers, while the 2024 campaign saw continued offensive growth and the emergence of standout freshman running back Daniel Palmer, who rushed for 706 yards and five touchdowns. Now leading the offense outright, Pimpleton brings a track record of player development and production into an expanded leadership role.
Prior to Bethune-Cookman, Pimpleton built a reputation for developing elite rushing attacks and NFL-caliber talent across multiple levels of college football. At Florida Atlantic, he coached Larry McCammon to a 1,000-yard season and first-team all-conference honors in 2022, marking the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Devin Singletary in 2018. His time at UMass included mentoring Ellis Merriweather to a historic 1,138-yard season—setting the program’s FBS single-season rushing record while averaging 5.2 yards per carry and not fumbling once.
Pimpleton also spent two seasons at Florida State, where he worked with one of the program’s top running backs in Cam Akers. Under his guidance, Akers developed into a second-round NFL Draft pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 after producing one of the most consistent careers in Seminoles history. Pimpleton’s group contributed significantly during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, with multiple All-ACC selections and a Sun Bowl appearance in 2019. Before Florida State, he helped orchestrate one of the nation’s most dominant ground attacks at Oregon in 2017, where the Ducks ranked among the national leaders in rushing offense behind the standout play of Royce Freeman, a Doak Walker Award semifinalist and eventual NFL Draft selection.
His success continued at South Florida, where he played a key role in one of the most prolific offensive stretches in program history. The Bulls set multiple school records during his tenure, including rushing yards, touchdowns and scoring, while finishing among the national leaders in several offensive categories. He also coached Marlon Mack, who became the program’s all-time leading rusher and an NFL Draft pick after earning back-to-back first-team all-conference honors.
Earlier in his career, Pimpleton coordinated a record-breaking offense at Kentucky Wesleyan, where the team set numerous school and individual records while tying the program’s single-season wins mark. He also coached future NFL receiver Keelan Cole during his time there. His collegiate coaching journey began with roles at Western Kentucky and Louisville, following a start in the high school ranks in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where he quickly advanced from position coach to offensive coordinator.
As a player, Pimpleton was a dual-threat quarterback and wide receiver at Western Kentucky, totaling 1,425 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns while helping lead the Hilltoppers to a conference championship. He later spent time in professional indoor football leagues before transitioning fully into coaching. Over the course of his career, Pimpleton has coached numerous players who have gone on to the NFL, including Cam Akers, Marlon Mack, Royce Freeman, D’Ernest Johnson, Jacques Patrick, Keelan Cole, Tony Brooks-James and Tyler Higbee.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Pimpleton earned his bachelor’s degree in business and communications from Western Kentucky in 2002. He and his wife, Nicole, have one daughter, Anistyn.
