Jason Eck

Jason Eck joined the Lobo Family in December of 2024 as head coach of the football program. He comes to the University of New Mexico with 26 years of experience at the FBS, FCS, and Division II levels, including 3 years as a head coach at the University of Idaho. He led the Idaho program to a national ranking and a FCS playoff berth in all three of his seasons there. Idaho increased its win total each season under Eck. In the 22 years before he arrived in Idaho, the Vandals totaled just two winning seasons.

Heading into 2024, Eck had to reload the Vandals after they lost over 80% of their offensive production to graduation or the transfer portal after the 2023 season. They reloaded in a big way, as Eck led Idaho to a 10-4 record and a second straight FCS Playoff quarterfinal appearance. The success came despite starting three quarterbacks throughout the season due to injuries.

After opening the season by putting a scare into then-No. 1 Oregon, losing just 24-14 in a game where Idaho trailed 17-14 late in the fourth quarter, Eck led the Vandals to a second straight Mountain West win, defeating Wyoming in Laramie 17-13. Three of Idaho’s four losses on the season were to teams ranked #1 in the country at the time of the game.

In 2023, the Vandals improved to 9-4, again finishing 6-2 in the Big Sky, tying for second place. The Vandals played two FBS programs, falling to California 31-17 after taking a 17-0 lead and defeating Nevada 33-6 in Reno, allowing only two field goals as Idaho outgained the Wolf Pack 463-266. The Vandals went 4-2 against ranked opponents and advanced to the FCS Quarterfinals. Once again, the Vandals ranked in the Top 20 in a host of categories including passing efficiency (12th at 154.7), scoring offense (14th at 32.3), total defense (14th at 306.8), red zone offense (4th at 92.6%), net punting (11th at 40.1), punt returns (3rd at 18.4), kickoff returns (7th at 24.2), and time of possession (3rd at 33:48).

Two players, receiver Hayden Hatten and defensive back Marcus Harris, were both named All-Americans. For Hatten, it marked his second straight All-American nod.

In his first season as head coach in 2022, Eck led the Vandals to a 7-5 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the Big Sky Conference, finishing third. That season included wins over rival No. 3 Montana, a first for the program since 1999, and the team broke the 40-point mark five times. Two of the losses were to Washington State (24-17) and at Indiana (35-22). The team qualified for the postseason for the first time since playing in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2016, and for just the fourth time since 1995 when the program last played in the FCS Playoffs.

Eck’s quarterback, Gevani McCoy, won the Jerry Rice Award, presented to the most outstanding freshman in the FCS, throwing for 2,725 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Idaho ranked in the Top 20 in the FCS in passing efficiency (5th at 168.1), scoring offense (13th at 35.9), fewest passing yards allowed (19th at 190.0), turnover margin (9th at +0.83), red zone offense (5th at 92.3%), punt returns (13th at 13.9), kickoff returns (13th at 24.1), and time of possession (2nd at 35:07).

Overall, in his three seasons with Idaho, Eck coached 16 First Team All-Big Sky players, 12 Second Team All-Big Sky players, four Third Team All-Big Sky players, and 16 Honorable Mention All-Big Sky players.

Before becoming Idaho’s head coach, Eck spent six seasons with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits as offensive line coach and the final three as offensive coordinator. In 2019, he was named the American Football Coaches’ Association FCS Assistant Coach of the Year.

At South Dakota State, he helped lead the Jackrabbits to four FCS Playoff semifinal appearances and a national championship game appearance in the spring 2021 season. In three years as the offensive coordinator at SDSU, Eck’s teams averaged 32.5 points per game, including 37.5 in his final season in 2021. The Jackrabbits were eighth in scoring offense, seventh in team passing efficiency, and eighth in rushing offense behind the FCS’s leading rusher, Pierre Strong.

In the 2021 spring season, freshman quarterback Mark Gronowski was the runner-up for the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS freshman of the year before being injured on the first series of the National Championship game. The Jackrabbits fell just 23-21 despite missing Gronowski.

The 2021 spring team showed off Eck’s experience. The Jackrabbits were seventh in the FCS in rushing and fourth in the FCS for tackles for loss allowed, despite playing some of the most physical defenses in the country in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Sophomore offensive tackle Garret Greenfield was a near-consensus All-America selection, and sophomore guard Mason McCormick also received All-America recognition.

During Eck’s first season with the Jackrabbits in 2016, SDSU featured one of the most prolific offenses in the MVFC and the FCS, averaging 33.2 points and 437.5 yards of total offense per game. In league contests, SDSU ranked second out of 10 teams in allowing only 11 total sacks and ranking first in five different offensive categories.

Before his time at SDSU, Eck was the offensive line coach and run-game coordinator at Montana State in 2015. The Bobcats were 18th in the FCS for rushing offense and 23rd in the FCS for sacks allowed. MSU led FCS in yards per play during his one season in Bozeman.

He was the offensive coordinator for the record-setting offense at Minnesota State, Mankato, during back-to-back Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships in 2013 and 2014. He served as the offensive line coach in 2013 and added offensive coordinator duties in 2014 as the Mavericks advanced to the NCAA Division II championship game. The 2014 season saw Mankato finish 14th in Division II in rushing offense.

Eck has also served as an assistant coach at Western Illinois (2012), Hampton (2011), Ball State (2009-10), and Winona State (2007-08). He had a previous stop at the University of Idaho as an assistant coach from 2004 to 2006.

A 1999 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Eck played on the Badgers’ 1998 Big Ten Championship team, which went on to win the Rose Bowl. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin under head coach Barry Alvarez and later moved on to Colorado.

Eck and his wife Kimberly have five children: Quentin, Jaxton, Palmer, Maverick, and Lola. Kimberly was formerly on the Board of Directors of the American Football Coaches’ Wives Association.

Jason Eck – Year-by-Year Collegiate Head Coaching Record