Florida Atlantic has hired former Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley as its new head football coach, making the 33-year-old the youngest FBS coach in the nation.
During his brief career as an assistant, Kittley has helped guide some of college football’s most prolific offenses, working with quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes and Bailey Zappe.
‘I am thrilled at this opportunity to be the head coach at Florida Atlantic,’ Kittley said in a statement as the school announced his hiring on Monday. ‘I know we can win here, and we have tremendous leadership from the top down to create a championship program.’
FAU fired coach Tom Herman on Nov. 18 after an 0-6 start to AAC play. The Owls finished the season with a 3-9 record.
Who is Zach Kittley?
Kittley is a protege of former Texas Tech coach and current Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
He served in several roles under Kingsbury from 2013-17, working his way up to assistant quarterbacks coach while overlapping with Patrick Mahomes’ college career in Lubbock. From there, Kittley took over as offensive coordinator at FCS program Houston Christian.
Before returning to Texas Tech in 2022, he served one year as OC at Western Kentucky, where the Hilltoppers had the No. 1 passing offense in the nation. Under Kittley’s guidance, quarterback Bailey Zappe set FBS single-season records with 5,967 passing yards and 62 passing touchdowns.
This season at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders are ranked 10th in the nation in total offense at 459.8 yards per game and eighth in scoring at 38.6 points per game.