The Nevada Wolf Pack limped to a 2-10 record last season despite being presented an opportunity in a wide-open Mountain West. The program moved to improve by hiring former Montana State head coach Jeff Choate, the former defensive coordinator at Texas. Who did Choate bring to build out his initial Nevada coaching staff in Reno?
Nevada Wolf Pack Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Jeff Choate
Choate is most recently from Texas, where he coached inside linebackers and was co-defensive coordinator for the Longhorns, but he’s best known for his time as head coach at FCS Montana State.
While Choate spent just four years in Bozeman, he returned the Bobcats to the success they’d experienced in the mid-2000s, reaching the FCS Playoff Semifinals in 2019, his last year with the program.
Choate didn’t coach any games in the disrupted 2020 season and then moved to Texas in 2021. He’s considered an excellent defensive-minded coach and has connections all over the Pacific Northwest. He takes over a Nevada team that has struggled to separate itself in a wide-open Mountain West.
Choate has also coached at Utah State, Eastern Illinois, Boise State, Washington State, Florida, and Washington during his career.
Defensive Coordinator, Kane Ioane
One of Choate’s best recruiting wins so far, Kane Ioane joins the Nevada coaching staff from Boise State, where he served as co-defensive coordinator since 2021.
Ioane was a four-time All-American safety at Montana State, then coached there immediately upon graduation in 2005 until 2016. After a brief stint as an analyst at Washington, Ioane rejoined Choate at Montana State, departing for Boise as his head coach headed to Texas.
Ioane left Montana State as the Big Sky’s all-time leading tackler, and his Boise State defenses have been among the best in the country.
Offensive Coordinator, Matt Lubbick
Known most for his recruiting prowess, Matt Lubbick comes to Reno from Kansas, where he served as a senior analyst. Lubbick has coached all over the country in various roles, from on-field offensive and defensive position coaching jobs to analyst and recruiting coordinator positions.
Lubbick was an integral part of David Cutcliffe’s staff at Duke and was responsible for several of their biggest recruiting wins.
Interim Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs, Mike Lynch
Mike Lynch has been with Syracuse since 2016 but is returning to his western roots to rejoin Choate after the two coached together at Utah State and Eastern Illinois in the early 2000s. He’s coached every offensive position, but his specialty is running backs, which he’s coached since 2016.
Lynch was the offensive coordinator and playcaller at Syracuse in 2018 and 2019. He coached in several places with Dino Babers and was co-offensive coordinator at Bowling Green in 2014.
Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers, Parker Henry
Parker Henry is one of the youngest members of the Nevada coaching staff, having played for Choate at Washington State in 2013.
He comes to Reno after a season as Portland State’s special teams coordinator in 2023. That was his first on-field experience after spending two seasons at USC as a defensive analyst and as a graduate assistant under Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma from 2019-2021.
Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line, Brian Armstrong
Another huge win for Choate, Brian Armstrong makes the lateral move from Fresno State after spending seven years at Montana State, including all four of Choate’s tenure.
Armstrong is a former NAIA head coach who has developed multiple All-Americans along the offensive line in his multi-decade coaching career.
Associate Head Coach/Interior Defensive Line, Payam Saadat
After playing at Washington State, Payam Saadat became a journeyman coach, making stops all over the country in a variety of roles.
Most recently a special assistant to Steve Sarkisian at Texas, Saadat follows Choate to Reno to coach the Wolf Pack interior defensive line. He also has an associate head coaching title at Nevada, a testament to his importance as an advisor.
Passing Game Coordinator/Secondary, Joey Thomas
Joey Thomas’ overlaps with Choate are many and somewhat strange. Thomas played with Choate at Montana State in the early 2000s, then was a special assistant at Texas after a long NFL career and high school coaching career in Seattle.
This is his first college position coaching role and he’ll also have a passing game coordinator title on the Nevada coaching staff.
Wide Receivers/Quarterbacks, David Gilbertson
Gilbertson returns out west after two seasons as the passing game coordinator and receivers coach at Akron. He got his start in coaching as an offensive analyst at Oregon, a job he spent five years at.
Choate was a backup quarterback at Washington State when Choate was there, and has quickly risen through the coaching ranks. He coached two Second-team All-MAC receivers in 2023 and will coach a decent group at Nevada.
Tight Ends, Virgil Green
The former NFL tight end is taking his first college position coaching job after spending last season as the director of player personnel at his alma mater.
KEEP READING: 2024 Nevada Wolf Pack Football Roster
When Choate got to Reno, he moved Virgil Green into an on-field coaching position. Green spent seven years in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl and catching 102 passes during his career.
Defensive Ends, Nico Johnson
A three-time National Champion and former standout linebacker for Alabama, Nico Johnson followed Choate from Texas to the Nevada coaching staff after the two worked together there in the early 2020s.
Johnson was a graduate assistant with the Longhorns, working with the defensive line that included T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy.
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