Eddie Simpkins is in his second season as the Illinois football program’s Director of Offensive Player Personnel in 2026.

During his first season in Champaign in 2025, Simpkins helped the Illini to nine wins, a victory over #23 Tennessee in the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl, and a final ranking of #25 in the Coaches Poll. He also helped Illinois sign the #21 recruiting class in the nation in December 2025, the highest-ranked class in Illinois history.

Simpkins came to Champaign in 2025 from Oklahoma State, where he spent the previous four seasons as the Cowboys’ Senior Administrative Support Specialist for Football Recruiting from 2021-24. Simpkins worked directly with the football operations and recruiting offices, helping Oklahoma State to 32 wins, two 10-win seasons, and bowl victories in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl and 2023 Texas Bowl during his four-year stint.

Simpkins joined Oklahoma State from the Denver Broncos, where he started as a scouting intern in 2018 before being promoted to a scouting assistant role from 2019-21. 

Simpkins graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2018 with a degree in economics and a minor in sports management. He worked as a football recruiting assistant for four seasons during his undergraduate years in Stillwater. 

Simpkins and his wife, Hannah, have one son, Bennett.