Sources: SJSU eyeing ex-Navy coach Niumatalolo

• Pete Thamel, ESPNJan 20, 2024, 06:08 PM ET

San Jose State is targeting previous Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo as the school’s next head coach, sources told ESPN.A deal is expected to come together within the next two days, sources say. Niumatalolo brings extensive head coaching experience but will vary his offense, as sources told ESPN that he’s not expected to run the triple option at San Jose State.Sources stated that Niumatalolo will prioritize hiring a youthful staff that consists of an offending organizer who’ll bring some type of wide-open and pass-heavy system.Niumatalolo is Navy’s all-time winningest coach, as he went 109-83

in his 15 full seasons there.San Jose State athletic director Jeff Konya sought a knowledgeable head coach who could carry

on the momentum from former coach Brent Brennan. He ‘d led San Jose State to championship game in three of the last 4 seasons. Konya likewise aimed to move quickly after Brennan left for Arizona on Tuesday.With the anticipated upcoming hire of Niumatalolo in the future, Konya appears to have attained both of the search’s main objectives. With the San Jose players eligible to go into the transfer portal, Konya has actually moved quickly to bring in a coach who will bring both stability, vision and experience.San Jose State’s candidate pool focused on coaches with head coaching experience, and Niumatalolo has plenty of that from his Navy tenure. He coached 192 games at Navy, consisting of 11 bowl appearances and eight seasons with 8 or more wins.Perhaps crucial for the Navy coach, he had a 10-5 record versus Army, the most wins by any coach in the series. Niumatalolo’s 109 profession wins suggest that he’ll get here as one of the most accomplished and

highly regarded coaches in the Mountain West, as only Bronco Mendenhall(135 ), Troy Calhoun(130) and Jeff Tedford( 127)have more profession wins.In 2015, Navy went 11-2 under Niumatalolo with a 7-1 record in the American Athletic Conference and blew out Pittsburgh in the Armed Force Bowl. In 2016, Navy beat Notre Dame and reached the AAC title game, losing to Matt Rhule

‘s Temple team.Niumatalolo, 58, is expected to tailor his staff around vibrant energy and West Coast ties. San Jose State officials focused on a wide-open system, which channels the Bay Area’s recruiting resources of strong quarterbacks and skill position players. That suggests a prospective offensive planner hire who’ll mark a system pivot for Niumatalolo.He’s a former quarterback at Hawaii who began his coaching career there and likewise worked at UNLV from 1999-2001. He also brings strong nationwide recruiting ties, as Navy cast a broad net for its players.San Jose State won the Mountain West title under Brennan in 2020. He led them to three of the school’s 11 total bowl births,

which included the Hawaii Bowl this season and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl last year.Niumatalolo’s function at UCLA in 2023 consisted of the title director of management. He spoke freely about going to UCLA to find out the subtleties of the transfer portal and NIL to prepare him for another head training opportunity.Niumatalolo said in an interview with The Athletic in June that another factor he went to UCLA was learning Chip Kelly’s offense, as Niumatalolo freely acknowledged he could not run the choice at his next head training stop.”Not just am I learning portal and NIL stuff, however you get to discover Chip’s stuff, “he stated in that June interview.” There’s a great deal of things coming

here. I acknowledge there are only three schools running the alternative. For me coming here, it enables me, if there is a chance, coming here will supply some things that may help me if I look toward the future.” –