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blank Kevin McGiven
Utah State head coach Gary Andersen announced on Dec. 10 that Kevin McGiven has been hired as the Aggies' quarterbacks coach. McGiven was Weber State's offensive coordinator for three seasons, recently helping the Wildcats to a share of the Big Sky Conference title and advancing to the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, where they lost at No. 5 Montana, 24-13. "I'm very, very excited for the opportunity to coach at this level. It's been a goal of mine since I got into coaching to be a Division I coach. I'm excited to be a part of Gary Andersen's staff. I've heard nothing but good things from coaches who have worked for and with Coach Andersen. His track record speaks for itself," McGiven said. "Having grown up in Utah, I'm familiar with Utah State's history. It's a school and a program with a great deal of tradition and promise. I'm excited to get the pieces together and get the Aggies back on the winning track." Weber State improved from fifth in the Big Sky last season in total offense to leading the league and ranking seventh in FCS this season with 455.4 yards per game. The McGiven-led Wildcat offense also led the conference and ranked 12th in FCS in scoring offense at 35.1 points per game, improving from 27.2 ppg last year and fifth-best in the league. McGiven's offense was also second in the conference and fifth in the FCS in passing offense (324.3 ypg) and fifth in the league and 70th in the nation in rushing offense (131.0 ypg). Under McGiven, Weber State had seven players earn first-team all-Big Sky Conference honors this season, part of a Big Sky Conference record 12 players on the first-team overall. Quarterback Cameron Higgins was not only a first-team selection but the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Higgins is a candidate for the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the top offensive player in FCS. Higgins led the Big Sky and ranks third in FCS in passing efficiency (166.26) as well as leading the league and ranking fourth in FCS in total offense (314.3 ypg). "What Kevin has done the last few years at Weber State is extremely impressive," Andersen said. "He has taken a young quarterback and developed him into one of the best in the country. He is a bright, young talented coach and his potential is immeasurable." While defensive coordinator at Utah, Andersen was able to see McGiven's coaching talents first hand on Sept. 27, when Utah hosted Weber State, and the Utes beat the Wildcats, 37-21. "When Weber State faced Utah this season, the scheme that Kevin had for that game was one of the best that I faced while defensive coordinator," Andersen said. In 2007, McGiven mentored Higgins into a season of accolades, including the 2007 Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year along with being an honorable mention all-Big Sky selection after ranking second in the league with a 143.20 passing efficiency rating. In addition to Higgins' standout seasons, McGiven has led Weber State's offense to additional notables, as running back Trevyn Smith, a unanimous first-team all-conference selection, has led the Big Sky in rushing each of the last three seasons. Smith's 113.2 ypg this season ranked 16th in FCS. McGiven joined the Weber State coaching staff in 2006 after two seasons at Southern Utah, where he was the Thunderbirds' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. There, he coached with Kevin Clune, who was Southern Utah's defensive coordinator and was hired as Utah State's linebackers coach on Monday. Beginning his coaching career in 2002, McGiven was a graduate assistant at BYU, coaching the wide receivers for the 2002 and 2003 seasons before moving to quarterbacks in 2004. McGiven grew up in Orem, Utah, and graduated from Mountain View High School in 1995. He played one season at Eastern Arizona Junior College and later played wide receiver at Louisiana Tech before finishing his bachelor's degree in business from Utah Valley State College in 2001. He and his wife Lindsay have four children, sons Peyton, K.J. and Beau, and daughter Ireland. |
