Report: Florida Atlantic expected to hire Texas Tech OC Zach Kittley as head coach

Florida Atlantic is expected to hire Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley as the program’s head coach, ESPN reports.

Kittley previously help offensive coordinator jobs at Houston Christian and Western Kentucky before joining the Red Raiders’ staff. He will replace Tom Herman, who was let go in Novemeber.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, he interviewed with the Owls on Sunday in Boca Raton. At 33, he would become the youngest head coach at the FBS level.

This season, Kittley helped lead the Red Raiders to the No. 9 passing offense in the country and finished the regular season with an 8-4 record. His quarterback, Behren Morton, finished the season with 3,335 passing yards and 27 touchdowns this season.

Under Kittley’s guidance, Texas Tech averaged 38.6 points per game in 2024. During his first year as OC in 2022, the Red Raiders sat second in the Big 12 Conference with 461.4 yards per game offensive yards per game.

Kittley’s most recent stint in Lubbock came after he spent a season at WKU, where he coached Bailey Zappe and helped lead the Hilltoppers to the top passing offense and No. 2 scoring offense in the country. That season, Zappe threw for 5,967 yards and 62 touchdowns across 14 games. He was subsequently drafted by the New England Patriots for his efforts.

The quarterback guru comes from the Kliff Kingsbury coaching tree. Kittley is a TTU alum and served various assistant roles on the Red Raiders’ staff from 2013-2017. Notably, he worked with Patrick Mahomes during his time in Lubbock.

FAU finished the season 3-9 and began AAC play 0-6. The Owls let go of former head coach Tom Herman before the final two games of the regular season. They finished conference play 1-7 overall.

Under Kittley, Florida Atlantic will look to make its first bowl game since the Owls’ 11-win season under current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin in 2019. Since moving to the AAC in 2023, the Owls have a combined record of 7-17.