Many had high hopes when Danny Gonzales became the head coach at New Mexico after he was Arizona State’s defensive coordinator.
However, the Lobos haven’t won more than four games in any season since he took over going into 2020. He has just 11 total wins and just five victories against Mountain West opponents. This year, New Mexico went 4-8.
Gonzales is now being let go at New Mexico.
Bringing in another good head coach could be tough because of a perceived lack of potential. Gonzales made $700,000 in total pay last year, via USA Today, which was the second-lowest among Mountain West head coaches. That could also be an issue, but it is an FBS head coaching opportunity nonetheless.
These possibilities might not materialize, but here are some potential candidates for New Mexico’s head coaching job in 2024.
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UNLV Offensive Coordinator Brennan Marion
Marion is in just his first season as UNLV’s offensive coordinator. However, he’s done well with the Rebels and has other coaching experience in the Mountain West.
Marion has helped UNLV’s offense thrive in 2023. The Rebels are 23rd in the FBS in scoring offense with 34.3 points per game, and they are 46th with 414.8 yards per game gained. The Rebels are balanced on that side of the ball as well.
Before this, Marion was a passing game coordinator at Texas in 2022, a wide receivers coach at Pitt in 2021, a wide receivers coach at Hawaii in 2020, an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at William & Mary in 2019, an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Howard in 2017 and 2018, and a running backs coach at Oklahoma Baptist in 2016.
Marion’s track record should make New Mexico consider him.
Montana State Head Coach Brent Vigen
Brent Vigen is going to be a popular name when it comes to Group of Five head coaching searches for the next couple years. And that’s for good reason.
Vigen has been Montana State’s head coach since 2021. That first year, he led the Bobcats to their first national championship appearance since 1984. Last season, Montana State reached the national semifinals before losing to the eventual champion, South Dakota State. The Bobcats are now widely regarded as a top-five FCS program.
Vigen also knows the Mountain West. He was an offensive coordinator at Wyoming under head coach Craig Bohl from 2014-20, most notably coaching now-NFL star quarterback Josh Allen.
If Vigen was open to it, New Mexico would be smart to consider hiring him.
New Mexico Offensive Coordinator Bryant Vincent
Vincent was New Mexico’s offensive coordinator last season, but he has a great amount of experience in other roles.
While he was at UNM last season, the Lobos made great improvements on offense. They scored 27.3 points per game in 2023, which was more than double their production from a year ago.
Before that, he was an offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and eventual interim head coach at UAB. While leading the team in 2022, the Blazers were 7-6 overall with a win in the Bahamas Bowl. He never had a losing record in his five seasons at UAB and helped his players break several school records on offense.
He was also an offensive coordinator at South Alabama from 2015-17 and was an assistant there from 2011-13 as well.
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Idaho Head Coach Jason Eck
Jason Eck doesn’t have much FBS experience, but has been highly successful at the FCS level and has connections in the Mountain West’s geographical footprint.
Eck is in his second season as Idaho’s head coach. The Vandals went 7-4 last season and earned a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2016.
Before that, he was the offensive coordinator at South Dakota State from 2019-21 and the team’s offensive line coach from 2016-19. Going back to 2000, he’s also been an assistant at Montana State, Minnesota State-Mankato, Western Illinois, Hampton, Ball State, Winona State, Colorado, and Wisconsin.
Eck has proven he can take a program to the next level and is the exact type of coach New Mexico would want.
San Jose State Offensive Coordinator Kevin McGiven
Kevin McGiven is extremely familiar with the Mountain West and the region.
He’s been the offensive coordinator at San Jose State since 2018 and the quarterbacks coach since 2021. The Spartans were fourth in the Mountain West with 368.2 yards and 27.4 points per game last year. McGiven has also mentored the 2023 preseason Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Chevan Cordeiro.
Before this, McGiven was the offensive coordinator at Oregon State from 2016-17 and OSU’s quarterbacks coach in 2015. He was also the OC at Utah State from 2013-14 before leading offenses in the FCS at Montana State (2012), Weber State (2007-08), and Southern Utah (2005).
McGiven has yet to be a Division I head coach, but he should be one New Mexico considers.
