Zach Kittley

Last updated

Zach Kittley
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Florida Atlantic
Conference The American
Record0–0
Biographical details
Born (1991-08-14) August 14, 1991 (age 33)
Abilene, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater Texas Tech University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2013–2014 Texas Tech (SA)
2015–2017Texas Tech (GA)
2018–2020 Houston Baptist (OC/QB)
2021 Western Kentucky (OC/QB)
2022–2024Texas Tech (OC/QB)
2025–present Florida Atlantic
Head coaching record
Overall0–0

Zach Kittley (born August 14, 1991) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at Florida Atlantic University, a position he has held since 2025. He was previously the offensive coordinator for Houston Baptist,Western Kentucky, and his alma mater, Texas Tech.

Contents

Coaching career

Early career

Kittley initially committed to playing college basketball at Abilene Christian, walking on to the team in 2011, but opted to pursue a career coaching football and transferred to Texas Tech University. [1] [2] From there, Kittley got a position on the football team as a student assistant to Sonny Cumbie. [3] He was later promoted to graduate assistant in 2015, where he was the program's assistant quarterbacks coach and worked closely with future NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. [4]

Houston Baptist

Kittley was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Houston Baptist in 2018. [5] At Houston Baptist, he engineered a turnaround of an offense that ranked in the bottom half of the NCAA Division I FCS division prior to his arrival to one of the top passing offenses in the country behind an Air raid offense. [6] While at HBU, Kittley was intimately involved with the development of another quarterback prospect in Bailey Zappe, who would play a critical role at his next coaching stop. [7]

Western Kentucky

Kittley was named the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Kentucky on December 14, 2020. [8] Zappe would follow Kittley to Western Kentucky. In Kittley's first year with Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers offense improved from 115th in scoring among FBS teams in 2020 to 2nd in the FBS in scoring in 2021. [9] [10] During WKU's win in the 2021 Boca Raton Bowl, Zappe set new single-season FBS records for passing touchdowns and yardage. [11]

Texas Tech

Kittley was named the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech on December 5, 2021, joining head coach Joey McGuire in his first season. [12]

Florida Atlantic

Florida Atlantic hired Kittley as its new head coach on December 2, 2024, succeeding Tom Herman. [13]

Personal life

Kittley is the son of Wes Kittley, who has been the track and field coach at Texas Tech since 2000 and was previously the track and field coach at Abilene Christian. [14] [15] Kittley and his wife, Emily, have two sons.

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Florida Atlantic Owls (American Athletic Conference)(2025–present)
2025 Florida Atlantic 0–00–0
Florida Atlantic:0–00–0
Total:0–0

References

  1. ↑ "Golding announces new Wildcats". Abilene Christian University Athletics. September 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  2. ↑ "WKU OC Zach Kittley and the road that led him to the Hill". College Heights Herald. June 17, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ Staples, Andy. "Dear Andy: Who are the under-the-radar coaches who might be Lincoln Riley-type wunderkinds?". The Athletic. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  4. ↑ "A branch from the Kliff Kingsbury tree: HBU's Zach Kittley". 247Sports. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Houston Baptist hiring Tech's Zach Kittley as offensive coordinator". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  6. ↑ Olson, Max. "Why Bailey Zappe and Houston Baptist are putting up 2020's wildest passing stats". The Athletic. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  7. ↑ Hale, David M. (December 17, 2021). "Bailey Zappe's journey to a historic season for Western Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ "WKU Announces Zach Kittley as Offensive Coordinator and QB's Coach". Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  9. ↑ "2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  10. ↑ "2020 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Zappe gets records, WKU rolls past App St 59-38 in Boca Bowl". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  12. ↑ "College football: Zach Kittley chosen to be Texas Tech's offensive coordinator". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  13. ↑ Feldman, Bruce (December 2, 2024). "Florida Atlantic expected to hire Texas Tech OC Zach Kittley as coach: Source". The Athletic . Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Abilene native Kittley carves out own niche as offensive coordinator for Houston Baptist". Abilene Reporter News. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  15. ↑ "'Dream Come True': Texas Tech's Zach Kittley a Part of Red Raiders Family Tradition". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
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