Jeff Choate begins his second season as Nevada head football coach in 2025. Choate was named the 28th head coach of the Nevada football program Dec. 4, 2023.
In his first season in Reno, Choate produced six All-Mountain West selections, including honorable mention safety Kitan Crawford who went on to be selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. In his first full season as a starter at safety, Crawford led Nevada with 76 tackles, picked off two passes (one of which was returned for a touchdown) and broke up seven more.
Choate's debut season with the Wolf Pack featured a memorable 42-37 victory over Oregon State on Oct. 12, the University of Nevada's 150th Birthday. In that contest, the Wolf Pack showed Choate's vision, a hard-nosed, run-the-ball team that churned out 353 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. It would be one of two 300-yard rushing games for the Wolf Pack in 2024, and one of four in which it eclipsed the 200-yard mark. For the year, the Wolf Pack rushed for 163.5 yards per game and 21 touchdowns, far out-pacing its numbers from previous seasons.
Choate came to Nevada from Texas, where he served as the co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach since 2021. Under Choate’s tutelage, the Longhorn defense topped the Big XII in rushing defense (80.8 ypg, third in the country), red-zone defense (71.4 percent, fourth in the country), scoring defense (17.5 points per game, 13th in the country), and total defense (321.7 yards per game, 23rd in the country), as the Longhorns earned a spot in the College Football Playoff, finishing the season 12-2 with a Big XII title.
Prior to his time in Austin, Choate served four seasons (2016-19) as head coach at Montana State. There, he led the Bobcats to a combined 19-9 record over his final two seasons, making consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs with a run to the semifinals in 2019.
Since starting as a graduate assistant at Utah State in 2002, Choate’s stops have included championship and top-10 programs as Boise State (2006-11), Montana State (2016-20), and Texas. In the 2024 Sugar Bowl, the Longhorns faced No. 2 Washington, where Choate spent two seasons (2014-15) as an assistant under Chris Petersen, and his resume includes two Fiesta Bowl titles (Boise State, 2007 and 2010).
At Texas, Choate helped guide Jaylan Ford to one of the finest years for a linebacker in program history in 2022. Ford earned All-American honors and All-Big 12 Conference accolades after totaling a career-high 119 tackles (61 solo), 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions. The 119 tackles were the most for a Longhorn since 2014 and his four interceptions tied the single-season record for a Texas linebacker, last accomplished by Derrick Johnson in 2002 and 2003.
In 2021, Choate tutored linebackers Overshown and Luke Brockermeyer to career years. Both players earned honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades, while Brockermeyer was also nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy. Overshown and Brockermeyer posted career highs in tackles, totaling 74 and 72, respectively, to lead the team.
Over his four seasons at the Montana State helm, the Bobcats improved dramatically in many statistical categories. By his final season (2019), Montana State ranked in the FCS top 25 in rushing offense (8th/258.1 ypg), turnover margin (13th/+0.87 tpg), rushing defense (18th/121.2 ypg), scoring defense (23rd/22.1 ppg), and total offense (25th/426.5 ypg), along with sacks allowed (7th/0.93 spg), sacks (20th/2.73 spg), tackles for loss allowed (11th/4.67 tpg) and net punting (14th/39.17 ypp). Two Bobcats earned second-team FCS All-America honors, including OL Mitch Brott and DL Bryce Sterk. Along with those two, a total of 13 Montana State players received All-Big Sky Conference recognition, including first-team linebackers Troy Andersen and Josh Hill and third-team linebacker Amandre Williams. Montana State finished the season 11-4, winning six of its last seven games with the only loss coming to No. 1 North Dakota State in the playoff semifinals. The 11 wins are the second-highest single-season total in program history and included a fourth-straight win over Montana for the first time since 1977.
The 2018 Bobcats won four of their last five games, including the program’s 10th postseason game in program history, only falling to North Dakota State in in the second round of the playoffs to finish 8-5. They featured the nation’s No. 17 rushing offense (231.8 ypg) and was effective in not allowing negative plays, ranking seventh in tackles for loss allowed (4.08 tpg), and 12th in sacks allowed (.085 spg). The team was once again proficient in turnover margin, ranking 12th at +0.77 tpg, and net punting, which was 16th at 38.01 ypp. Andersen earned third-team All-America honors as an all-purpose player after playing quarterback, starting 11 of 13 of MSU’s games. He set a school record rushing for 21 touchdowns, along with 1,412 yards on 206 carries (6.9 ypc). Overall, he registered 2,607 yards of total offense.
In 2016 and 2017, Choate began the building process at Montana State. The Bobcats had back-to-back Big Sky Freshman of the Year honorees those seasons with Andersen, playing both quarterback and linebacker, garnering it in 2017, and QB Chris Murray doing so in 2016, along with Freshman All-America recognition. One of Andersen’s fellow linebackers, Mac Bignell was tabbed first-team all-conference in 2017. The Bobcats led the Big Sky and ranked seventh nationally in rushing offense at 249.5 yards per game that year, all while facing a program-record seven nationally ranked opponents. The rushing attack was also strong the year before, as they ranked 17th in the nation at 212.0 yards per game behind a line anchored by first-team all-conference OG J.P. Flynn.
In 2015, his second at Washington, Choate was part of the top defense in the Pac-12 Conference, despite having lost four starters to the NFL Draft after the 2014 season. The defense led the Pac-12 in scoring defense (18.8 ppg) and total defense (351.8 ypg) and was second in rushing defense (125.3 ypg) and pass efficiency defense (115.9). The Huskies were also best in the league in opponent first downs and red-zone defense. Sophomore DL Elijah Qualls registered eight starts in 10 games for the Huskies with 4.5 sacks and would later be selected in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Future 2018 first-round pick Vita Vea was also a member of that line and played in 11 games as a freshman. Washington capped their season with a win in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
At UW in 2014, Choate coached a defensive line that featured two first-team All-America selections in Hau’oli Kikaha (one of just six unanimous All-Americans in UW history) and Danny Shelton. Kikaha led the nation in sacks with 19.0, while linemate Andrew Hudson finished sixth in the nation with 12.5 sacks. Washington finished the season second in the nation in sacks, fifth in fumble recoveries, ninth in turnover margin and 26th in takeaways. Additionally, UW led the NCAA-FBS with seven defensive touchdowns. The UW’s special teams also stood out as Washington the Huskies had one of the nation’s most accurate field-goal kickers (Cameron Van Winkle, .833, 12th) and returned two kickoffs and a punt for a TD. Meanwhile, the Huskies allowed just 50 yards in punt returns all season.
In 2013, Choate served as special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Florida. The Gators ranked second in the SEC in total defense (314.2 ypg/8th FBS) and pass defense (171.8 ypg/7th FBS), while ranking third in rush defense (142.4 ypg/33rd FBS) and points allowed (21.1 ppg/15th FBS). Several special teams units also ranked in the top 15 nationally, including kickoff return defense (16.41 ypr/3rd), kickoff returns (24.82 ypr/10th), and punt return defense (3.77 ypr)/13th).
Choate served one season as linebackers coach at Washington State in 2012. The Cougars were No. 8 nationally in tackles for loss (7.7 pg) and 11th in sacks (2.9 pg).
From 2006-2011, Choate was an assistant at Boise State in several roles. He served as special teams coordinator all six years and also spent time coaching running backs (2006-08), linebackers (2009) and nicklebacks (2010-11). During that time, the Broncos posted a 73-6 overall record, winning four Western Athletic Conference Championships and two Fiesta Bowl Championships and finishing ranked in the top 11 five times (2006, ‘08-11), including two in the top five (2006, 2009).
Boise State ranked in the top 25 nationally in kickoff returns three times (2007, 10th; 2009 4th; 2010, 23rd) and in punt returns four times (2007, 22nd; 2008, 20th; 2010, 16th; 2011, 18th) under Choate.
Among his protégés was Kyle Brotzman, the highest-scoring kicker in school and conference history (439 points) and Boise State’s career leader in punting (44.6 ypp). He also coached Kyle Wilson, who led the country in punt return touchdowns (3) and ranked 12th in punt return average (14.2 ypr) in 2008.
Coaching nickelbacks, Choate tutored All-WAC first team selection Winston Venable in 2010. The Broncos ranked second nationally in scoring defense (12.8 ppg) and total defense (254.7 ypg) that season.
Working with the linebackers in 2009, the Broncos were 14th nationally in total defense (300.2 ypg) and scoring defense (17.1 ppg). The team led the WAC in six defensive statistical categories that year, including passing efficiency defense, total defense, scoring defense, pass defense, tackles for loss and sacks. The team completed its season 14-0 with its second Fiesta Bowl win by defeating TCU.
As running backs coach, he was instrumental in the development of Ian Johnson, who at the time set a WAC record with 58 rushing touchdowns, which is still the second-best mark following 59 by Colin Kaepernick. Johnson amassed 4,183 yards in a Bronco uniform, second all-time in school history. He led the nation in rushing touchdowns (25) and scoring (152 points) in 2006. That year, the Broncos finished 13-0 including a win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Prior to joining Boise State, Choate served as special teams coach at Eastern Illinois (2005) and Utah State (2003-04). In his lone season at Eastern Illinois, the Panthers finished first in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Choate spent 2002-04 at Utah State, first as a graduate assistant working with the defensive line then the safeties in 2003-04.
From 1997-2001, Choate was the head coach at Post Falls (Idaho) High School and also served as athletic director his final two years. He also coached at the Idaho high school level at Twin Falls and Challis.
Choate earned his bachelor’s degree from Montana Western in 1993, where he played linebacker. He and his wife, Janet, have one son, Jory, and a daughter, Jacy.
