Ken Niumatalolo named head football coach at San Jose State

July 20, 2024

Ken Niumatalolo, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been named the head football coach at San Jose State University.

The school officially announced the hire of Niumatalolo on Jan. 21, less than a month after he was named the tight ends coach at UCLA.

“We are thrilled that Coach Niumatalolo has accepted the opportunity to lead our football program,” Jeff Konya, SJSU director of athletics, said in a news release. “He is a proven winner and brought the Naval Academy to unprecedented heights by winning eight or more games in nine seasons during his tenure. It’s impressive when you see that he had success against national brands like Notre Dame, Virginia, Kansas State and Pittsburgh and even finished ranked inside the top 25 twice. We believe he is the right fit to build off the foundation laid here at San Jose State and will have the Spartans competing for Mountain West championships on a consistent basis.”

Cynthia Teniente-Matson, SJSU president, was also “thrilled” to have the 58-year-old Niumatalolo as its head football coach.

“Throughout his career, Coach Niumatalolo has led with integrity and a commitment to inspiring student-athletes to be successful on and off the field,” she said. “We are confident Coach Niumatalolo will continue to build a strong Spartan football program focused on student success and making a positive impact in our community.”

From 2007 to 2022, Niumatalolo compiled a win-loss record of 109-83 overall at the Naval Academy to become the program’s winningest head coach.

Niumatalolo spent the 2023 season as director of leadership at UCLA before he was hired as the Bruins’ tight ends coach on Jan. 5.