Jason Eck

Last updated

Jason Eck
Jason Eck (cropped).jpg
Eck in 2025
Current position
Title Head coach
Team New Mexico
Conference MW
Record9–3
Biographical details
Born (1977-08-11) August 11, 1977 (age 48)
La Crosse, Wisconsin, U.S.
Playing career
1995–1998 Wisconsin
Position Offensive lineman
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1999–2001 Wisconsin (GA)
2002–2003 Colorado (GA)
2004–2005 Idaho (OL)
2006Idaho (TE/RC)
2007–2008 Winona State (OL/TE)
2009–2010 Ball State (OL)
2011 Hampton (OL)
2012 Western Illinois (OL/RGC)
2013–2014 Minnesota State (OC/OL)
2015 Montana State (RGC/OL)
2016–2018 South Dakota State (OL)
2019–2021South Dakota State (OC/OL)
2022–2024Idaho
2025–present New Mexico
Head coaching record
Overall35–16 (.686)
Tournaments2–3 (NCAA D-I playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards

Jason Eck (born August 11, 1977) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of New Mexico, a position he has held since December 14, 2024.

Contents

Playing career

Eck was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His father, Jay Eck, was then the head basketball coach at Aquinas High School. Jay's career led to the family moving several times as Jason grew up; and he eventually attended high school at St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, Georgia. [1] Eck walked-on at Wisconsin as an offensive lineman and played from 1995–1998. [2]

Assistant coach

Eck began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Wisconsin under head coach Barry Alvarez from 1999–2001, earning a master's degree along the way. [1] He then spent the 2002 and 2003 seasions as a graduate assistant at Colorado under head coach Gary Barnett. [2] In 2004, he joined new Idaho head coach Nick Holt's staff as offensive line coach. [3] Holt resigned following the 2005 season. New head coach Dennis Erickson retained Eck as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2006 season. [4]

Erickson left after one year to become head coach at Arizona State, and Eck became offensive line coach at Winona State under head coach Tom Sawyer. [5] [a] Eck departed to become offensive line coach at Ball State under Stan Parrish. [6] Ball State fired Parrish following the 2010 season. [8] Eck spent the next year as offensive line coach at Hampton under Donovan Rose. [9]

Following the 2011 season at Hampton, Eck moved over to Western Illinois under head coach Mark Hendrickson. Western Illinois fired Hendrickson after the 2012 season, during which the team went 3–8. In lieu of paying buyouts, Western Illinois reassigned the assistant coaches to other duties. Eck performed maintenance at the school's golf course, and was later reassigned to the transit center. In July 2013, he was hired as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Minnesota State under Aaron Keen. [1] After two years at Minnesota State, Eck departed to become offensive line coach at Montana State under Rob Ash, succeeding Jason McEndoo. [10]

Montana State fired Ash after the 2015 season, and Eck moved over to South Dakota State under long-time head coach John Stiegelmeier. [1] At SDSU, Eck won the AFCA FCS Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2019, his first year as the Jackrabbits' offensive coordinator. [11] [12]

Head coach

Eck was named the 36th head coach in program history at the University of Idaho on December 18, 2021. [13] [14] [15] Idaho had just completed a fifth straight losing season, posting a 4–7 record in 2021. In Eck's first season in 2022, the Vandals were 7–4 in the regular season and made the FCS playoffs.

Eck was named head coach at New Mexico on December 14, 2024. [16]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs STATS#Coaches°
Idaho Vandals (Big Sky Conference)(2022–2024)
2022 Idaho 7–56–2T–3rdL NCAA Division I First Round 1822
2023 Idaho 9–46–2T–2ndL NCAA Division I Quarterfinal 88
2024 Idaho 10–46–2T–3rdL NCAA Division I Quarterfinal 78
Idaho:26–1318–6
New Mexico Lobos (Mountain West Conference)(2025–present)
2025 New Mexico 9–36–2T–1st Rate
2026 New Mexico 0–00–0
New Mexico:9–36–2
Total:35–16

Notes

  1. ↑ Some sources list Eck as co-offensive coordinator in 2008. [1] [6] The official university website credits Bruce Carpenter and Carson Walch. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Reider, Sean (February 16, 2025). "Eck's Factor". Albuquerque Journal . pp.  B1, B3 . Retrieved December 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Cohen, Evan (December 23, 2002). "Eck has thorough scouting report on UW". The Capital Times . p. 17. Retrieved December 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Holt names balance of Vandal coaching staff". Times-News . January 8, 2004. p. 11. Retrieved December 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Vandals to keep bulk of existing coaches". The Idaho Statesman . February 11, 2006. p. 9. Retrieved December 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Bersch, Jeff (August 9, 2007). "Young guys, fresh ideas". The Winona Daily News . p. 11. Retrieved December 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 "BSU rounds out football staff". The Star Press . February 26, 2009. p. 9. Retrieved December 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Winona State Football Coaching Staff". Winona State Athletics. Archived from the original on November 22, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Parrish out as Ball State head coach". ESPN.com. November 24, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  9. ↑ Waldrop, Melinda (March 9, 2011). "HU has 7 home games". Daily Press . p. C3. Retrieved December 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Jason Eck to coach Cats' o-line". Great Falls Tribune . March 9, 2015. p. S2. Retrieved December 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Eck receives AFCA assistant coach award". Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Former Montana State offensive line coach Jason Eck wins FCS assistant coach of the year award". Montana Sports. November 20, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Eck Named Vandal Football's 36th Head Coach". University of Idaho Athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ Wiebe, Stephan (January 6, 2022). "Eck settling in at Idaho". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Idaho hires South Dakota State offensive coordinator Jason Eck as head football coach". KHQ 06. NBC News. December 18, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  16. ↑ "New Mexico agrees to 5-year deal with Idaho's Jason Eck". ESPN.com . Retrieved March 27, 2025.
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