Todd Monken Season 2024
Updated 6/20/06
Todd Monken, a 16-year coaching veteran with expertise in all phases of the passing game, enters his second season at LSU as the Tigers’ passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
In his first year with the Tigers in 2005, Monken tutored what many called the best group of wide receivers in the country, which was led by a trio of receivers who all had over 1,000 career receiving yards ? Skyler Green, Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis. The trio combined for 108 receptions, 1,537 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2005.
Monken also coached Bennie Brazell to his finest season as a Tiger as the Olympic high-hurdler caught a career-best 13 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns in his final season at LSU. Bowe had his best year in an LSU uniform as well in 2005, catching 41 passes for 710 yards and a career-best nine touchdowns, which included a scoring reception in a school-record seven consecutive games at one point during the year.
Following the year Green was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, while Brazell was taken in the seventh round by the Cincinnati Bengals. It marked only the fifth time in school history that LSU had two wide receivers selected in the same NFL Draft. It also ran Monken’s number of drafted receivers to three in the past three NFL Drafts.
While at Oklahoma State, Monken coached some of the top receivers in Oklahoma State history, including 2004 first round draft pick Rashaun Woods, who was selected with the 31st pick by the 49ers.
One of the highlights of Woods’ career at OSU was the NCAA record seven touchdown passes he caught against SMU in 2003. Woods finished the 2003 season 77 receptions for 1,367 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was twice named First-Team All-America and he capped his career with 293 receptions for 4,414 yards and 42 touchdowns.
Monken didn’t have to go outside the family to find Rashaun Woods’ replacement as his younger brother D’Juan stepped up in 2004 and earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors for the Cowboys. D’Juan caught 33 passes for 690 yard and six touchdowns for Oklahoma State, which included 128 yards receiving against Oklahoma.
In three years at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys averaged over 32 points each season, including 35.9 points in 2003, which ranked 11th in the nation.
Prior to his arrival in Stillwater, Monken helped coach one of the nation’s most efficient passing attacks at Louisiana Tech. In two years at Louisiana Tech, one year as the running backs coach and the other as wide receivers coach, Monken played a key role in the Bulldogs being ranked among the top eight teams in the nation in passing offense.
In 2001, Tech ranked eighth in the nation in passing, averaging 313 yards through the air per game. In addition, the Bulldogs had three different players have over 700 yards receiving in 2001. The Bulldogs averaged 34.7 points per game in 2001, which ranked No. 17 in the nation.
A year earlier in 2000, the Bulldogs were seventh nationally in passing with 309 yards per game. James Jordan led the Bulldogs with 109 receptions for 1,003 yards and four touchdowns in 2000.
From 1993-99, Monken coached a variety of positions as Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti, Mich. In 1993, Monken coached defensive backs for the Eagles. A year later he moved to the offensive side of the football, coaching the wide receivers as well as overseeing the punt return unit for four years. Under Monken’s watch, the Eagles led the nation in punt return average twice.
Monken was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Eastern Michigan in 1998, a spot he held for two years. During that span, the Eagles had two of the most prolific offenses in school history.
Monken’s 1998 squad put up 3,985 yards for the year, a figure that ranks as the sixth-highest total in school history. In 1999, EMU amassed 3,404 yards of offense, while scoring 239 points, the ninth-highest total in school history for a single season.
Monken got his start in coaching in 1989, serving as an assistant coach at Grand Valley State where he helped guide that program to a 21-1 mark over a two-year span. After two years at Grand Valley State, he moved on to Notre Dame, holding a graduate assistant position for two seasons. While at Notre Dame, Monken worked with the defensive backs one season and spending a year with the quarterbacks and running backs. During his stay in South Bend, the Fighting Irish had wins in the Cotton Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
Monken, a native of Wheaton, Ill., earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Knox College in 1989. He followed that with a master’s degree in education leadership from Grand Valley State in 1991. Monken was a three-year letterwinner at quarterback for Knox College earning First-Team Small College All-America as a senior.
Monken and his wife, Terri, have one son, Travis.
The Todd Monken File
Year at LSU: Second
Birthdate: Feb. 5, 1966 in Wheaton, Ill.
Wife: Terri
Children: Travis
College: Knox College, ’89
Post-Graduate: Grand Valley State, ’91
Coaching Experience
1989-90 Grand Valley State (assistant coach)
1991-92 Notre Dame (graduate assistant)
1993-99 Eastern Michigan (defensive backs, 1993; wide receivers, punt return unit, 1994-97; offensive coordinator, quarterbacks, 1998-99)
2000-01 Louisiana Tech (running backs/recruiting coordinator, 2000; wide receivers, 2001)
2002-04 Oklahoma State (pass game coordinator, wide receivers)
2005 LSU (passing game coordinator/wide receivers)