NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
UTEP is set to hire TCU assistant quarterbacks coach Mark Cala to be its next offensive coordinator, multiple media outlets have reported. 247 Sports was the first to report the news.
The Albuquerque native replaces Jake Brown, who resigned following UTEP’s 3-9 season. UTEP won’t comment until his hiring is official, which could take a week or two.
Mark Cala was an assistant quarterbacks coach at TCU
The UTEP offensive coordinator job does not entail play calling, that’s the purvey of head coach Scotty Walden, but Cala will be working with former-five star recruit Malachi Nelson, who earlier this year announced he was transferring from Boise State.
Cala played collegiately at Puget Sound and began his coaching career there in 2015. He has had stops in Florida Atlantic, Houston, Florida State and Arkansas as either an analyst or graduate assistant before joining the TCU staff in 2023. This will be his first on-field coaching job at the FBS level.
Cala helped La Cueva High School in Albuquerque to a state championship in 2009 and began his collegiate career as a defensive back at New Mexico before transferring to Division III Puget Sound.
TCU’s 2024 season ended in the New Mexico Bowl, where Cala was the assistant quarterback coach to offensive coordinator Kendal Briles.
“Mark’s a really smart guy,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes told the Albuquerque Journal before the New Mexico Bowl (Dykes is the brother-in-law of UTEP men’s basketball coach Joe Golding). “He’s been around a little bit, he’s been with Kendal Briles a number of years, (he’s) our offensive coordinator. And Mark is one of the guys that Kendal really leans on — he’s really, really smart, really does a great job of game planning and breaking down opponents.
“Really good football coach, and one of those guys that’s got a really bright future.”
The Miners ranked 122nd in…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/reports-utep-hire-tcu-assistant-183503853.html
Author : The El Paso Times
Publish date : 2025-01-16 18:35:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
