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Russ Phillips enters his ninth season on staff with the Hendrix football program in 2026 and eighth as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Phillips' "O-Show" offense took the SCAC by storm in the program's first season in the league, with multiple Hendrix players ending the year on top of statistical categories. Auvic White led the league with 782 yards (78.2 YPG) and 12 touchdowns, while receiver Westin Bruce averaged a league-leading 110.9 receiving yards per game to go along with 11 touchdowns. Bruce's 1,109 receiving yards ranks 9th on the SCAC's single-season receiving list. As a team, Hendrix led the league with 446.5 yards per game, totaling 4,465 yards of offense in ten games. Hendrix capped off the 2026 season with a dominant 55-28 win over Lyon College in the league's inaugural championship weekend at War Memorial Stadium. In the regular season finale, quarterback Jake Blice threw for 5 touchdowns to earn SCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
In 2023, Phillips offense led the SAA in passing with 345.9 yards per game. Quarterback Jacob Buniff led all of the NCAA in yards passing per game and passing touchdowns through the first five weeks of the season. Hendrix produced eight 2023 All-SAA selections, including Christian Gadison, Parker Turley, and Buniff, who were all named Second Team All-SAA Offense.
Phillips joined the Hendrix coaching staff in July 2018 and worked as the offensive line coach and strength and conditioning coordinator in 2019.
Prior to Hendrix, Phillips served as the running backs coach and strength and conditioning coordinator at Southlake Carroll High School. In the spring, Phillips worked with the sprinters and relay teams for the track and field program.
Following his days at Lewisville High School, Phillips received a head coaching opportunity at Ponder High Schooll. He coached there three years before obtaining a coaching position at Denton Guyer High School. In just his first season at Denton Guyer, Phillips helped lead the Wildcats to its second-straight 4A Division I Texas State Championship after a 31-14 victory over Brennan High School in the title game. In his three seasons at Denton Guyer, Coach Phillips served as the wide receivers coach, head boys track coach, and was the assistant strength and conditioning coordinator.
Phillips played his college ball at the Southern Arkansas University (SAU) from 1991-1995. After graduation, Phillips moved to Texas to begin his high school coaching career, starting out at Lewisville High School. He would spend 13 seasons on staff at Lewisville, with his last four seasons as offensive coordinator.
Phillips earned a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from Southern Arkansas in 1995. He and his wife, Heidi, reside in Conway. Heidi is the head cheer coach at Hendrix and is also head of the Wellness and Athletics Center.
