MSU offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven
Photo by: MSU Sports Information
Former Weber State Assistant Joins Bobcat Staff
2/17/2012 12:15:00 PM | Football
Most recently at Memphis, McGiven helped engineer 2008 upsets of MSU, UM
Kevin McGiven's most recent season in the Big Sky Conference season proved memorable, with the 2008 Weber State squad for which he served as offensive coordinator winning the league and advancing to the FCS Playoff Quarterfinals.
He hopes to recapture that success on his second trip through the league, as well. McGiven has joined the Montana State football staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Bobcat head coach Rob Ash said.
“I'm very excited about Kevin McGiven joining our staff,” Ash said. “He has great experience, he's called plays in the Big Sky Conference, he's called plays in the WAC, he helped call plays last year at Memphis. He's a quarterbacks guy, that's his expertise, and I believe he will run a quarterback-centered offense. He's going to be a great addition to our program.”
McGiven comes to MSU after two seasons at Memphis, where true freshman quarterback Ryan Williams became the ninth Tiger in history to throw for more than 2,000 yards. In 2011 he was Assistant Head Coach for Offense. McGiven spent the 2009 season as quarterbacks coach at Utah State, where the Aggies jumped from 89th to 14th in NCAA Total Offense rankings on the strength of signal caller Diondre Borel's school total offense record.
McGiven's coaching career began with stints as a student assistant coach or graduate assistant at Louisiana Tech and BYU sandwiched around a stint in the prep ranks in Utah. After three years at BYU as an offensive GA working with quarterbacks and receivers, McGiven became offensive coordinator at Southern Utah in 2005.
One season later he became Weber State's quarterbacks coach, and mid-season in 2006 was elevated to offensive coordinator. The Wildcats' offensive production improved immediately, and he retained the job the next two seasons. His time in Ogden, highlighted by Weber wins over MSU and Montana in 2008, included work with a slew of talented offensive players such as quarterback Cameron Higgins, receiver Tim Toone, and running back Trevyn Smith. From Ogden, McGiven moved to Utah State, then Memphis.
McGiven caught Ash's eye by fusing the ability to craft an offense built around the talent available and to create plans for each game to attack the defense it faces. “He's very innovative and creative as a game plan designer,” Ash said, “but I don't expect dramatic differences in our offense. It's not broken. He can tool his offense to the personnel that we have, based on what he's done at different stops. He's not tied to a certain offensive scheme. He'll evaluate our personnel and do what he can with what we have.”
While college football often slips into the background in the weeks before spring break and the beginning of spring football, Ash said the present time is crucial in the process of constructing MSU's offense with McGiven. “We have a four-week opportunity to merge our offensive thoughts with his and determine our vocabulary and our plan for installation this spring,” Ash said. “We'll watch all the cutups (of video) from last year and the film of what he's done in the past, and we'll hash out pass concepts, protections, run game, and build a menu to start teaching to the players during spring ball. The next four weeks will be very intensive in the office.”
McGiven's biggest challenge, Ash says, will be keeping the current players at bay until the offense is ready for installation. “Guys like DeNarius (McGhee, MSU's returning starter at quarterback), the receivers, the running backs, everyone will want to come in and find out what we're doing. We won't be able to tell them yet. The player-coach relationships are just a matter of getting acquainted, but guys wanting to know if we're going to call a screen salt and pepper or 41 and 42, those are things we still need to hash out.”
Ash said McGiven's familiarity with the region and the league stands as an unquestionable advantage. “He's been to all the locations, he's won a championship as an assistant, taken a team to the playoffs and won a playoff game. I think that will help set him up for what he'll see here.”
KEVIN McGIVEN
2010-11 Memphis – QB Coach (2009), Assistant Head Coach of Offense/QB Coach (2010-11)
2009 Utah State – Assistant Head Coach/QB Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
2006-08 Weber State – QB Coach (2006)/Offensive Coordinator and QB Coach (2007-08)
2005 Southern Utah – Offensive Coordinator/QB and Receivers Coach
2002-04 BYU – Offensive Graduate Assitant
2001 Mountain View High School (Provo, UT) – TE/WR Coach
1998 Louisiana Tech – Offensive Student Assistant
EDUCATION
BYU, Master's in Physical Education, 2005
Utah Valley, BS in Business Management, 2001
He hopes to recapture that success on his second trip through the league, as well. McGiven has joined the Montana State football staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Bobcat head coach Rob Ash said.
“I'm very excited about Kevin McGiven joining our staff,” Ash said. “He has great experience, he's called plays in the Big Sky Conference, he's called plays in the WAC, he helped call plays last year at Memphis. He's a quarterbacks guy, that's his expertise, and I believe he will run a quarterback-centered offense. He's going to be a great addition to our program.”
McGiven comes to MSU after two seasons at Memphis, where true freshman quarterback Ryan Williams became the ninth Tiger in history to throw for more than 2,000 yards. In 2011 he was Assistant Head Coach for Offense. McGiven spent the 2009 season as quarterbacks coach at Utah State, where the Aggies jumped from 89th to 14th in NCAA Total Offense rankings on the strength of signal caller Diondre Borel's school total offense record.
McGiven's coaching career began with stints as a student assistant coach or graduate assistant at Louisiana Tech and BYU sandwiched around a stint in the prep ranks in Utah. After three years at BYU as an offensive GA working with quarterbacks and receivers, McGiven became offensive coordinator at Southern Utah in 2005.
One season later he became Weber State's quarterbacks coach, and mid-season in 2006 was elevated to offensive coordinator. The Wildcats' offensive production improved immediately, and he retained the job the next two seasons. His time in Ogden, highlighted by Weber wins over MSU and Montana in 2008, included work with a slew of talented offensive players such as quarterback Cameron Higgins, receiver Tim Toone, and running back Trevyn Smith. From Ogden, McGiven moved to Utah State, then Memphis.
McGiven caught Ash's eye by fusing the ability to craft an offense built around the talent available and to create plans for each game to attack the defense it faces. “He's very innovative and creative as a game plan designer,” Ash said, “but I don't expect dramatic differences in our offense. It's not broken. He can tool his offense to the personnel that we have, based on what he's done at different stops. He's not tied to a certain offensive scheme. He'll evaluate our personnel and do what he can with what we have.”
While college football often slips into the background in the weeks before spring break and the beginning of spring football, Ash said the present time is crucial in the process of constructing MSU's offense with McGiven. “We have a four-week opportunity to merge our offensive thoughts with his and determine our vocabulary and our plan for installation this spring,” Ash said. “We'll watch all the cutups (of video) from last year and the film of what he's done in the past, and we'll hash out pass concepts, protections, run game, and build a menu to start teaching to the players during spring ball. The next four weeks will be very intensive in the office.”
McGiven's biggest challenge, Ash says, will be keeping the current players at bay until the offense is ready for installation. “Guys like DeNarius (McGhee, MSU's returning starter at quarterback), the receivers, the running backs, everyone will want to come in and find out what we're doing. We won't be able to tell them yet. The player-coach relationships are just a matter of getting acquainted, but guys wanting to know if we're going to call a screen salt and pepper or 41 and 42, those are things we still need to hash out.”
Ash said McGiven's familiarity with the region and the league stands as an unquestionable advantage. “He's been to all the locations, he's won a championship as an assistant, taken a team to the playoffs and won a playoff game. I think that will help set him up for what he'll see here.”
KEVIN McGIVEN
2010-11 Memphis – QB Coach (2009), Assistant Head Coach of Offense/QB Coach (2010-11)
2009 Utah State – Assistant Head Coach/QB Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
2006-08 Weber State – QB Coach (2006)/Offensive Coordinator and QB Coach (2007-08)
2005 Southern Utah – Offensive Coordinator/QB and Receivers Coach
2002-04 BYU – Offensive Graduate Assitant
2001 Mountain View High School (Provo, UT) – TE/WR Coach
1998 Louisiana Tech – Offensive Student Assistant
EDUCATION
BYU, Master's in Physical Education, 2005
Utah Valley, BS in Business Management, 2001
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