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LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – UNLV football head coach Dan Mullen continued filling out his initial staff on Friday, naming Kyle Hoke as the Rebels’ safeties coach.
Hoke moves to Las Vegas after spending 2024 as a defensive analyst at Texas A&M, including in last week’s SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC at Allegiant Stadium.
Previous to his one year in College Station, Hoke spent four seasons coaching safeties in the Mountain West as an assistant coach at San Diego State under his uncle, Brady Hoke. The 2023 season saw Hoke’s safeties total seven of the 11 Aztec interceptions, which ranked third in the league, and contribute to the 125.99 pass efficiency defense that was fourth-best in the Mountain West. Senior safety Cedarious Barfield ranked third in the league in interceptions with four.
In 2022, Hoke oversaw First Team All-Mountain West selection Patrick McMorris. In his second straight all-conference season, McMorris was on both the preseason Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch lists and went on to rank second in the league pass coverage and fourth in defensive pass efficiency according to Pro Football Focus.
During Hoke’s second season on The Mesa in 2021, SDSU led the Mountain West with 17 interceptions, which was tied for fifth nationally, while its league-best 118.01 pass efficiency defense was good for 13th in the country. Additionally, the Scarlet and Black occupied the second spot in the conference in total defense (324.4), which ranked 12th nationally.
In Hoke’s first year on the Aztec staff in 2020, SDSU finished third nationally in total defense with a conference-best 283.5 YPG allowed and led the MW in passing efficiency defense (115.19). In addition, the Aztecs ranked second in the league in both passing yards allowed (185.2) and passes intercepted (eight). Hoke coached two All-MW performers in 2020, as Tariq Thompson garnered First Team accolades while Dwayne Johnson Jr. received honorable mention.
Prior to SDSU, Hoke coached the safeties at Indiana State in 2019 when the Sycamores allowed just 22.8 PPG and 338.3 YPG. Individually, Hoke tutored ISU defensive back Michael Thomas, who received All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Honorable Mention. Before serving a one-year stint as safeties coach at Texas State, Hoke spent the 2017 campaign as defensive coordinator at Division III power John Carroll University. In his one season with the Blue Streaks, Hoke’s defense ranked second in the Ohio Athletic Conference in scoring defense (22.1), while linebacker Mason McKenrick was named Second Team All-American by the Associated Press. Prior to his move to JCU, Hoke spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at South Carolina after a season as defensive quality control coach at Army. Hoke entered the collegiate coaching ranks at Western Michigan, where he was a graduate assistant in 2012-13.
Hoke played four years at Ball State, including all 14 games as a freshman in 2008 under head coach Brady Hoke. The Cardinals started that year 12-0 and finished 22nd in the final AP poll. He graduated in 2012 from Ball State with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He and his wife, Maddie, have a daughter Rae.
Hoke hails from a football coaching family as his father (Jon Hoke) is currently the passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach for the Chicago Bears and has worked for four other NFL teams and multiple universities during a career that started in 1982.
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