San Jose State has hired former Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo for the same role, it announced Sunday.
Niumatalolo joins the Spartans program after he was named director of leadership at UCLA prior to last season.
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He succeeds former head coach Brent Brennan, who took the opening at Arizona in wake of Jedd Fisch’s departure for Washington.
“We are thrilled that Coach Niumatalolo has accepted the opportunity to lead our football program,” San Jose State athletics director Jeff Konya stated in a release. “He is a proven winner and brought the Naval Academy to unprecedented heights by winning eight or more games in nine seasons during his tenure. It’s impressive when you see that he had success against national brands like Notre Dame, Virginia, Kansas State and Pittsburgh, and even finished ranked inside the top 25 twice. We believe he is the right fit to build off the foundation laid here at San José State and will have the Spartans competing for Mountain West championships on a consistent basis.”
Niumatalolo is the all-time leader in wins at Navy where he went 109-83 over 15 seasons from 2007-22. The Midshipmen won six bowl games under Niumatalolo, a school record.
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According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, San Jose State zeroed in on Niumatalolo who “is expected to target an offensive coordinator for some type of wide-open and pass-heavy system.”
Niumatalolo’s contract is a five-year agreement, according to Thamel.
