Jake Spavital Hired As Offensive Coordinator At Cal

BERKELEY – Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox announced Tuesday that Jake Spavital has agreed to become the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at California. Spavital returns to the role he held at Cal for one season in 2016 when the Golden Bears' offense and quarterback Davis Webb set several school records while ranking fourth in the nation in passing offense and 10th in total offense.

"Jake is an elite offensive coordinator and recruiter with a terrific record of success in producing top-notch offenses and developing outstanding quarterbacks," Wilcox said. "We are excited to have Jake return to Cal and lead our staff on the offensive side of the ball."

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for the culture Justin Wilcox and his staff have created at Cal," Spavital said. "I got a taste of the potential this program has when I was in Berkeley previously, and I'm looking forward to bringing everything I can to the table to help us maximize that potential. We have a bunch of talented playmakers already on the roster, and I can't wait to get to work with them and bring more talent in to join them."

Spavital has spent the last four seasons (2019-22) in his first head coaching position at Texas State, while he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at West Virginia (2017-18) for two seasons after his season at Cal and at Texas A&M the two seasons prior (2014-15). He was also the co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for one season at Texas A&M in 2013 after two campaigns as the quarterbacks coach in his first stint at West Virginia (2011-12).

As an offensive coordinator, Spavital has piloted offenses on teams that finished in the top 20 in the country in total offense six times, reached seven bowl games, and earned a spot in the AP Top 25 in seven different seasons.
Spavital has recruited and worked with several elite college and future NFL quarterbacks in addition to Webb including Will Grier (West Virginia), Case Keenum (Houston), Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M), Kyler Murray (Texas A&M), Geno Smith (West Virginia) and Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma State). Weeden and Manziel were both first-round picks of the Cleveland Browns in 2012 and 2014, respectively, while Smith was a second-round choice of the New York Jets in 2013.

Murray (Arizona) and Smith (Seattle) are currently NFL starting quarterbacks while Grier is on the active roster for Dallas and Webb on the New York Giants' practice squad. Keenum, who was the all-time passing leader in college football history in several categories including passing yards (19217) and passing touchdowns (155) when he finished his collegiate career, first signed as an undrafted free agent with Houston and is now in his 11th NFL season and first in Buffalo. 

Below are additional notes on Spavital with an extended bio available by clicking on his name.
 
COACHING CAREER
Texas State – Head Coach (2019-22)
– Helped Texas State steadily improve during his four seasons as a first-time head coach after taking over a program that had only recently moved to the FBS level in 2012 including a second-place finish in the Sun Belt's West Division in his third season in 2021
– Produced the program's first FBS All-American during the 2020 season in return specialist/punt returner Jeremiah Haydel (ESPN, FWAA, Phil Steele) after he ranked third nationally in combined kick return yardage and was one of only two FBS players to return a kickoff and punt for a touchdown
– Also coached Freshman All-American (The Athletic) left tackle Dalton Cooper
 
West Virginia – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach (2017-18)
– Helped lead the Mountaineers to a pair of bowl games at the 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl and 2018 Camping World Bowl with spots in the AP Top 25 both seasons and a No. 20 finish after an 8-4 mark in 2018
– Squad finished in the top 10 in the nation in 2018 in passing offense (351.3, #4), team passing efficiency (168.66, #5), total offense (512.3, #8), and scoring offense (40.3, #10) after 2017 team was in the top 25 in passing offense (309.3, #13), total offense (459.6, #20) and scoring offense (34.5, #22)
– Coached quarterback Will Grier both seasons after he transferred from Florida and combined to complete 516-of-785 (65.7%) passes for 7354 yards with 71 touchdowns and 20 interceptions for a 169.18 rating with his 351.3 passing yards per game and 37 touchdown passes in 2018 ranking second and fifth in the nation, respectively

 
California – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2016)
– Coached a Cal offense that ranked fourth in the nation in passing offense (358.8), 10th in total offense (513.2) and 22nd in scoring offense (37.1 ppg) among eight top 25 national rankings
– Helped Cal establish single-school records for pass completions (383), first downs by penalty (35), fewest fumbles lost (3) and fewest turnovers (15) while equaling a school mark for field goals made (22)
– Instrumental in the recruitment of quarterback Davis Webb, a graduate transfer from Texas Tech who went on to become the Senior Bowl MVP and be selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft after starting all 12 games in his lone season at Cal and completing 382-of-620 passes (61.6%) for 4295 yards with 37 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a 135.63 passing efficiency rating to rank among the nation's leaders in nearly every passing category including passing attempts (No. 2), completions (No. 3), points responsible for per game (21.7, No. 3), total offense (348.8, No. 4), passing yards (No. 5), total plays (No. 6, 653), points responsible for (260, No. 7) and passing touchdowns (No. T8), while also setting Cal single-season records for passing attempts, completions and total plays, while equaling single-season school marks for most touchdowns responsible for (43) as well as 300-yard passing games (10)
– Wide receiver Chad Hansen earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors from Athlon Sports, the Associated Press, ESPN.com and Phil Steele, while he was also a second-team All-Pac-12 pick of the league's coaches after ranking third in the country in per-game receptions (9.2) and fourth in receiving yards (124.9), while he was also 11th nationally in receptions (92), 17th in receiving yards (1249) and tied for 22nd in touchdown receptions (11) despite missing two games due to injury
– Wide receiver Demetrius Robertson was a unanimous freshman All-American who broke Cal single-season freshman records by DeSean Jackson for receiving yards and Keenan Allen for receptions while equaling Jackson's Cal freshman mark in touchdown receptions after totaling 50 receptions for 767 yards with seven touchdown catches
 
Texas A&M – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2014-15); Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2013)
– Helped squad to 25-14 record over three-year stint with the Aggies
– Oversaw the 2014 quarterback transition from Johnny Manziel to a pair of first-time starters in Kyle Allen and Kenny Hill and helped the Aggies rank among nation's leaders in passing touchdowns (39, #7T NCAA) and passing offense (305.5, #12 NCAA)
– Served as the Aggies' co-offensive coordinator for the 2013 regular season before being promoted to offensive coordinator prior to the Chick-fil-A Bowl and in his debut game as the play-caller the Aggies compiled 541 yards of total offense and rallied from 21 points down to beat Duke, 52-48, in the largest comeback in school history
– The 2013 Aggies set single-season SEC and school records with 4593 passing yards and had 6999 total yards of offense to rank second in SEC and Texas A&M history, while checking in at fourth nationally in total offense (538.4 ypg) and seventh in passing offense (353.3 ypg)
– Manziel threw 37 touchdown passes in 2013 to rank tied for fourth in the nation while passing for 4114 yards with an average of 316.5 yards per game that was ninth
 
West Virginia – Quarterbacks (2011-12)
– Spent two seasons as the quarterbacks coach for Geno Smith, who finished his collegiate career in 2012 having completed 988-of-1465 (67.4%) of his passes for 11662 yards with 98 touchdown throws
– Mountaineers ranked in the top 10 nationally in 2012 in passing efficiency (161.97, #9), scoring offense (39.5 ppg, #9), passing offense (330.2 ypg, #10) and total offense (502.0 ypg, #10) with Smith ranking fifth nationally in passing yards (4205) and passing yards per game (323.5) as well as sixth in passing efficiency (163.86)
– Helped lead Mountaineers to a 10-3 overall record and a win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl in his first season with West Virginia in 2011 with the team ranking sixth nationally in passing offense (346.9) and also in the top 20 in scoring offense (37.6, #13), total offense (469.5, #15) and passing efficiency (151.14, #19).
 
Oklahoma State – Graduate Assistant, Offense (2010)
– Cowboys ranked second nationally in passing offense (387.2) and scoring offense (48.7), as well as third in total offense (545.9) on their way to an 11-2 overall record capped with a win over Arizona in the Alamo Bowl
 
Houston – Graduate Assistant, Offense (2009)
– Cougars went 10-4 and led the nation in total offense (563.4), passing offense (433.7) and scoring offense (42.2)
 
Tulsa – Quality Control, Offense (2008)
– Golden Hurricane led the nation in total offense (569.9) while ranking second in scoring offense (47.2) and ninth in passing offense (301.9) on their way to an 11-3 record and win over Ball State in the GMAC Bowl
 
PLAYING CAREER
Missouri State, Quarterback (2004-07)
– Two-year letterwinner as a quarterback and punter for Missouri State
 
Union High School, Tulsa, Okla., Quarterback (2000-03)
– Consensus first-team all-state quarterback for a program that won the Class 6A state title game in his 2002 junior season, finished his junior and 2003 senior campaigns ranked second and third in the nation, respectively, and posted a 26-1 record during those two seasons
 
OTHER
– Wife, the former Mehgan Morris, is one of the top collegiate gymnasts in West Virginia history
– Brother, Zac, was the defensive coordinator at Texas State during Jake's tenure as head coach (2019-22) after previous coaching stints at Texas Tech (2015-18), Houston (2008-14) and Oklahoma (2005-07) following his collegiate playing career at Murray State (2003-04) and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (2001-02)
– Father, Steve, is a former high school football coach
 
YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING POSITIONS
Season: Team – Position (Postseason)
2022: Texas State – Head Coach
2021: Texas State – Head Coach
2020: Texas State – Head Coach
2019: Texas State – Head Coach
2018: West Virginia – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Camping World Bowl)
2017: West Virginia – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Liberty Bowl)
2016: California – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2015: Texas A&M – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Music City Bowl)
2014: Texas A&M – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Liberty Bowl)
2013: Texas A&M – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (Chick-fil-A Bowl)
2012: West Virginia – Quarterbacks (Pinstripe Bowl)
2011: West Virginia – Quarterbacks (Orange Bowl)
2010: Oklahoma State – Graduate Assistant (Alamo Bowl)
2009: Houston – Graduate Assistant (Armed Force Bowl)
2008: Tulsa – Offensive Quality Control (GMAC Bowl)
 
FILE
Pronunciation: SPAH-vih-tall
Birthdate: May 1, 1985
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
High School: Union HS
College: Missouri State, 2008, Bachelor's, Business Administration
Family: Wife – Mehgan; Daughter – Madison Grace; Son – Landyn Zachary