Stature and coaches, 1946–2026
The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program
Run↔pass identity, by season
Every coach
Big movers show how many stature points they built or lost against what they inherited; steadier tenures show the tier they reached instead. A small blue arrow marks a real System Shift at that changeover — how hard the offense’s run/pass identity flipped.
2024–now
Jeff Choate Steady
Jeff Choate held Nevada at Regional Program IV for 3 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
−2.8 pts over 3 seasons · top 48% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Mick Dennehy’s Utah State run (2000–2004)
7th-best Nevada tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Ken Wilson (2022–2023).
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 3-10 | 3-9 | 3-5 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #127 | #88 | #98 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | 44.3 | 42.6 | 42.7 | |
| Coordinators | ||||
| OC | Matt Lubick | David Gilbertson | David Gilbertson | |
| DC | Kane Ioane | Kane Ioane | Kane Ioane | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | 56 | 13 | 14 | |
| Defense | 16 | 34 | 53 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | 41.0 | 34.1 | 40.2 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 29.9 | 40.3 | 38.9 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 48.5 | 34.9 | 36.0 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
-4.2 pts
#129 of 208 · middle half
Defense vs. talent
-15.1 pts
#166 of 208 · bottom quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
A portal-built roster.
Portal arrivals
56
2.9★ avg rating
Portal departures
75
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-19
#46 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.
A typical class-year mix of incoming transfers.
Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 242 lbs
across 36 of 56 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+3.6 lbs
#138 of 255 · middle half
Avg. class year
Jr
#103 of 255 · middle half
Top states: TX (9), CA (9), WA (4), NV (3), GA (2)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
53.4
position-weighted
Talent lost
56.9
position-weighted
Net
-3.5
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Luke Duncan (QB) from UCLA
Biggest loss: Chubba Purdy (QB) to the portal
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Matt Lubick → David Gilbertson · 2025
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 41.0% → 34.1% (-6.9 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 66% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
207 lbs
6′3″ avg · #544 of 767 · middle half
Running back
203 lbs
5′10″ avg · #548 of 791 · middle half
Wide receiver
192 lbs
6′1″ avg · #421 of 791 · middle half
Tight end
262 lbs
6′4″ avg · #16 of 731 · top quarter
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
305 lbs
6′4″ avg · #569 of 779 · middle half
D-line
280 lbs
6′2″ avg · #454 of 753 · middle half
Cornerback
187 lbs
5′11″ avg · #553 of 771 · middle half
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Safety via the portal
80%
#14 of 218 stints
1 NFL Draft pick: Kitan Crawford (2025)
AI Narratives — “Nevada — stat check” and 2 more on the team page.
−2.8
9-24
2022–2023
Ken Wilson Short tenure
2023 offense ranked in the 1th percentile nationally — historically bad
4-20
2021
Vai Taua Short tenure
Averaged a 63% pass rate — among the most pass-heavy stretches in FBS since 2004
0-1
2017–2021
Jay Norvell Steady
Jay Norvell slid the Wolf Pack from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 5 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
−2.6 pts over 5 seasons · top 47% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Pete Cordelli’s Kent State run (1991–1993)
5th-best Nevada tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Brian Polian (2013–2016) · succeeded by Ken Wilson (2022–2023).
System Shift, on departure
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||
| Record | 3-9 | 8-5 | 7-6 | 7-2 | 8-4 | |
| Postseason | — | W bowl | L bowl | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #95 | #82 | #93 | #119 | #85 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||
| Pass rate | 55.5 | 53.0 | 53.0 | 58.4 | 62.9 | |
| Coordinators | ||||||
| OC | Matt Mumme | Matt Mumme | Matt Mumme | Matt Mumme | Matt Mumme | |
| DC | Jeff Casteel | Jeff Casteel | Jeff Casteel | Brian Ward | Brian Ward | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||
| Offense | 45 | 35 | 27 | 84 | 80 | |
| Defense | 36 | 87 | 25 | 42 | 38 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 50.8 | 52.5 | 49.9 | 55.3 | 61.2 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 50.0 | 37.7 | 48.4 | 47.0 | 57.0 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 54.5 | 46.7 | 30.4 | 33.3 | 38.9 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
+10.6 pts
#62 of 208 · middle half
Defense vs. talent
+1.3 pts
#94 of 208 · middle half
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
Barely touches the portal — recruits and develops his own.
Portal arrivals
6
3.2★ avg rating
Portal departures
12
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-6
#160 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Brings in smaller-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
Avg. size (raw)
5′10″, 179 lbs
across 3 of 6 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
-13.0 lbs
#256 of 255 · bottom quarter
Avg. class year
Sr
#1 of 255 · top quarter
Top states: FL (1), CA (1), TX (1)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
21.5
position-weighted
Talent lost
29.7
position-weighted
Net
-8.2
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Marquis Spiker (WR) from Washington
Biggest loss: Charles Ross (WR) to San José State
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
215 lbs
6′5″ avg · #324 of 767 · middle half
Running back
217 lbs
5′9″ avg · #100 of 791 · top quarter
Wide receiver
193 lbs
6′1″ avg · #408 of 791 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
303 lbs
6′4″ avg · #624 of 779 · bottom quarter
D-line
273 lbs
6′2″ avg · #609 of 753 · bottom quarter
Linebacker
226 lbs
6′0″ avg · #510 of 772 · middle half
Cornerback
189 lbs
5′11″ avg · #459 of 771 · middle half
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Grows Interior line from high school
80%
#176 of 224 stints
Postseason detail2018: Beat Arkansas State 16-13 Bowl2019: Lost to Ohio 21-30 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl2020: Beat Tulane 38-27 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
3 NFL Draft picks: Austin Corbett (2018), Romeo Doubs (2022), Cole Turner (2022)
−2.6
33-26
2013–2016
Brian Polian Steady
Brian Polian slid the Wolf Pack from National Program III to Regional Program I in 4 seasons.
2013 defense ranked in the 4th percentile nationally — historically bad
−8.4 pts over 4 seasons · bottom 19% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Ron Prince’s Kansas State run (2006–2008)
4th-best Nevada tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Chris Ault (2004–2012) · succeeded by Jay Norvell (2017–2021).
System Shift, on departure
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||
| Record | 4-8 | 7-6 | 7-6 | 5-7 | |
| Postseason | — | L bowl | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #88 | #81 | #98 | #105 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||
| Pass rate | 42.6 | 42.0 | 37.3 | 42.9 | |
| Coordinators | |||||
| OC | — | Nick Rolovich | Nick Rolovich | Tim Cramsey | |
| DC | — | Scott Boone / Bill Teerlinck | Scott Boone / Bill Teerlinck | Scott Boone / Bill Teerlinck | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||
| Offense | 58 | 43 | 61 | 55 | |
| Defense | 4 | 46 | 34 | 34 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||
| 1st-down pass% | 34.0 | 37.4 | 29.6 | 37.1 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 35.1 | 39.1 | 27.9 | 36.8 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 43.9 | 43.5 | 33.3 | 36.7 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Outperforms his recruiting talent on offense and performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
+16.6 pts
#48 of 208 · top quarter
Defense vs. talent
-8.2 pts
#140 of 208 · middle half
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Nick Rolovich → Tim Cramsey · 2016
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 29.6% → 37.1% (+7.4 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 91% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Postseason detail2014: Lost to Louisiana 3-16 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl2015: Beat Colorado State 28-23 Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl
1 NFL Draft pick: Joel Bitonio (2014)
−8.4
23-27
1992, 1994–1995, 2004–2012
Chris Ault Steady
Chris Ault held Nevada at National Program III for 12 seasons.
2009 offense ranked in the 98th percentile nationally — elite
3rd-best Nevada tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Joseph Sheeketski (1947–1950) · succeeded by Jeff Horton (1993) · returned in 1994 · succeeded by Jeff Tisdel (1996–1999) · returned in 2004, succeeding Chris Tormey (2000–2003) · succeeded by Brian Polian (2013–2016).
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||||||||
| Record | 7-5 | 9-2 | 9-3 | 5-7 | 9-3 | 8-5 | 6-7 | 7-6 | 8-5 | 13-1 | 7-6 | 7-6 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | — | L bowl | — | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | L bowl | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | #91 | #92 | #99 | #99 | #93 | #99 | #91 | #115 | #77 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | 50.5 | 43.1 | 38.7 | 40.2 | 41.3 | 32.6 | 35.9 | 39.4 | 37.6 | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | 40 | 86 | 26 | 85 | 69 | 98 | 95 | 95 | 96 | |
| Defense | — | — | — | 23 | 13 | 66 | 32 | 66 | 30 | 55 | 87 | 12 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | 59.1 | 35.9 | 33.3 | 31.3 | 34.8 | 19.8 | 30.6 | 23.9 | 29.0 | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | 29.2 | 29.7 | 31.1 | 30.5 | 17.1 | 32.0 | 32.0 | 27.5 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | 27.3 | 25.0 | 34.9 | 31.7 | 39.4 | 44.4 | 36.7 | 49.1 | |
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Postseason detail1992: Lost to Bowling Green 34-35 Bowl1995: Lost to Toledo 37-40 Bowl2005: Beat UCF 49-48 Bowl2006: Lost to Miami 20-21 Bowl2007: Lost to New Mexico 0-23 Bowl2008: Lost to Maryland 35-42 Bowl2009: Lost to SMU 10-45 Bowl2010: Beat Boston College 20-13 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl2011: Lost to Southern Miss 17-24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl2012: Lost to Arizona 48-49 Gildan New Mexico Bowl
14 NFL Draft picks: Forey Duckett (1993), Brock Marion (1993), Tony Moll (2006), Jeff Rowe (2007), Marko Mitchell (2009), Colin Kaepernick (2011), Dontay Moch (2011), Virgil Green (2011) + 6 more
National Program III
95-56
2000–2003
Chris Tormey Steady
Chris Tormey slid Nevada from Regional Program I to Regional Program III in 4 seasons.
−8.5 pts over 4 seasons · bottom 19% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Ron Prince’s Kansas State run (2006–2008)
6th-best Nevada tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Jeff Tisdel (1996–1999) · succeeded by Chris Ault (2004–2012).
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Grows Interior line from high school
100%
#198 of 224 stints
3 NFL Draft picks: Nate Burleson (2003), Jorge Cordova (2004), Maurice Mann (2004)
−8.5
16-31
1996–1999
Jeff Tisdel Steady
Jeff Tisdel moved Nevada from Regional Program I to National Program II in 4 seasons.
+2.9 pts over 4 seasons · top 20% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Dick Tomey’s San José State run (2005–2009)
2nd-best Nevada tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Chris Ault (1994–1995) · succeeded by Chris Tormey (2000–2003).
| Season | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||
| Record | 9-3 | 5-6 | 6-5 | 3-8 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | |
Postseason detail1996: Beat Ball State 18-15 Bowl
3 NFL Draft picks: DeShone Myles (1998), John Dutton (1998), James Cannida (1998)
+2.9
23-22
1947–1950
Joseph Sheeketski Steady
Joseph Sheeketski moved the Wolf Pack from National Program II to National Program I in 4 seasons.
+6.3 pts over 4 seasons · top 11% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Jerry Kill’s Northern Illinois run (2008–2010)
1st-best Nevada tenure of 7 by the numbers.
Followed Jim Aiken (1946) · succeeded by Chris Ault (1992).
+6.3
24-18