Ken Niumatalolo has a new head coaching job

Ken Niumatalolo is back in the head coaching business.

San Jose State has hired the 58-year-old Niumatalolo to take the reins of its football program, the school officially announced Sunday evening.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel had previously reported Saturday regarding San Jose State’s “targeting” of Niumatalolo for its head coaching vacancy, with the two sides quickly reaching a five-year agreement to bring Navy’s all-time wins leader to the Bay Area.

Niumatalolo will replace Brent Brennan, who left the Spartans Thursday to take over at Arizona as part of the nationwide domino effect stemming from Nick Saban’s retirement.

The Latter-day Saint Niumatalolo went 109-83 in 15 seasons at Navy until his controversial firing following the 2022 campaign.

Thamel reported that Niumatalolo would not run his famous triple-option offensive scheme at San Jose State, as the program now intends to implement a heavy passing attack due to “the Bay Area’s recruiting resources of strong quarterbacks and skill position players.”

Niumatalolo spent the 2023 season as director of leadership at UCLA and was hired as the Bruins’ tight ends coach earlier this month, a position he will now forego to join the Spartans. He previously interviewed for BYU’s head coach job in 2015 upon Bronco Mendenhall’s move to Virginia.