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Florida Atlantic has hired Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kitley as its next head coach, according to ESPN’s Max Olson.
The hire makes Kitley, 33, the youngest coach in the FBS.
“After receiving significant interest from candidates across the country and conducting an extensive search, we have identified Zack as the ideal choice to be our next head coach,” Olson said in a statement. It surfaced,” he said. “He is a man of high integrity and character, and has an incredible reputation in the field of player development. Zach is one of the most innovative offensive minds in the game, and I am very excited about his exciting “We are confident in our ability to build a championship program with strong teamwork,” a brand of football that can be a source of pride for our fans, alumni and the FAU community. ”
FAU fired head coach Tom Herman after getting off to a 2-8 start to the season and 0-6 in conference play. Herman was hired ahead of the 2023 season and finished his tenure with a 6-16 record.
The hire marks Kitley’s first head coaching position after more than a decade in various assistant coaching roles.
He served as a student assistant under current Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech in 2013 and 2014, then became a graduate assistant from 2015 to 2017. During his first stint with the Red Raiders, he worked with Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
From there, he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Houston Baptist from 2018 to 2020, and held the same position at Western Kentucky for the 2021 season.
During his time with the Hilltoppers, he coached quarterback Bailey Zappe to 5,967 passing yards and 62 touchdowns, both single-season records in college football.
“I am excited about this opportunity to become the head coach at Florida Atlantic,” Kitley said in a statement. “I am very grateful. I would like to thank Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White and President Stacey Volnick for believing in me to take over this nationally acclaimed program. We know we can win and we have great leadership from the top to create a championship program.
FAU experienced a fleeting moment of success during current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s tenure in Boca Raton. The Owls won the Conference USA Championship in 2017 with an 11-3 record and maintained the same record and results in 2019, Kiffin’s final year at the helm.
FAU has yet to win since then, but now hopes Kitley can change that.
