New football coach aims to ‘build something special’

Weber State made a splash in December, hiring Eric Kjar as the Wildcats’ new football head coach.

Kjar (pronounced “Care”) comes to WSU after 17 years as a decorated high school head coach and teacher at Jordan and Corner Canyon high schools, accumulating an overall 181-39 record with seven state championships.

“I’m really excited to be a part of the Weber State football program, the community, and the university and build something special here,” Kjar said at his introductory press conference. “It’s been built before, and we want to return to that. I feel really blessed to be a part of Weber State and what it has to offer. It’s a special place, and I truly believe that.”

Six of his titles came at Corner Canyon, where the Chargers went 112-10 in his nine seasons as coach. Kjar coached many state MVPs and future college football players.

Three former CCHS players who played under Kjar have since been drafted in the NFL: Jaxson Dart (New York Giants), Zach Wilson (New York Jets), and Jackson Powers-Johnson (Las Vegas Raiders).

Going directly from a high school head coaching position to an equivalent position in the college ranks is rare, and colleges have typically hired prep head coaches as position coaches rather than as head coaches.

“The work ethic side of it isn’t going to be that much of a change,” Kjar said. “Coach (Jay) Hill talked about this a little bit, too … I get to focus more on football.”

Kjar replaces Mickey Mental, who served as head coach from 2023–2025.