Texas State: a football coaching history
See Texas State’s full 91-year Zeitgeist History →← all coaches
Stature and coaches, 2012–2026
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
Texas State is at its highest stature in program history
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.
2023–now
G.J. Kinne Steady
G.J. Kinne moved the Bobcats from Regional Program V to Regional Program III in 4 seasons.
2025 offense ranked in the 96th percentile nationally — elite
+8.5 pts over 4 seasons · top 7% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Steve Kragthorpe’s Tulsa run (2003–2006)
1st-best Texas State tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Followed Jake Spavital (2019–2022).
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||
| Record | 8-5 | 8-5 | 7-6 | 4-4 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #97 | #96 | #101 | #74 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||
| Pass rate | 44.8 | 44.9 | 39.3 | 40.7 | |
| Coordinators | |||||
| OC | Mack Leftwich | Mack Leftwich | Landon Keopple / Jordan Shoemaker | Landon Keopple / Jordan Shoemaker | |
| DC | Jonathan Patke | Bradley Dale Peveto / Dexter McCoil | Bradley Dale Peveto / Dexter McCoil | Will Windham / Matthew Gregg | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||
| Offense | 67 | 85 | 96 | 89 | |
| Defense | 66 | 52 | 59 | 42 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||
| 1st-down pass% | 44.1 | 48.1 | 40.8 | 39.0 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 35.8 | 41.2 | 38.7 | 33.3 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 52.6 | 32.5 | 43.9 | 31.8 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Outperforms his recruiting talent on offense and performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
+37.6 pts
#10 of 208 · top quarter
Defense vs. talent
+13.3 pts
#56 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
A portal-built roster.
Portal arrivals
119
2.9★ avg rating
Portal departures
101
left via the portal
Net portal flow
+18
#9 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″, 240 lbs
across 89 of 119 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+3.7 lbs
#128 of 255 · middle half
Avg. class year
Jr
#91 of 255 · middle half
Top states: TX (48), FL (7), CA (6), GA (6), LA (4)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
57.6
position-weighted
Talent lost
57.2
position-weighted
Net
+0.4
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Malik Hornsby (QB) from Arkansas
Biggest loss: TJ Finley (QB) to Western Kentucky
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: Mack Leftwich → Landon Keopple / Jordan Shoemaker (co) · 2025The offense improved
2-season window either side.
1st-down pass rate: 46.1% → 39.9% (-6.2 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 93% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
DC: Jonathan Patke → Bradley Dale Peveto (co) / Dexter McCoil · 2024
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
201 lbs
6′0″ avg · #671 of 767 · bottom quarter
Running back
196 lbs
5′10″ avg · #740 of 791 · bottom quarter
Wide receiver
180 lbs
5′11″ avg · #768 of 791 · bottom quarter
Tight end
250 lbs
6′4″ avg · #200 of 731 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
316 lbs
6′5″ avg · #113 of 779 · top quarter
Edge
241 lbs
6′3″ avg · #170 of 188 · bottom quarter
Linebacker
224 lbs
6′2″ avg · #612 of 772 · bottom quarter
Cornerback
186 lbs
6′1″ avg · #577 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 Kicker via the portal
100%
#1 of 56 stints
Buys Linebacker via the portal
81%
#6 of 225 stints
Postseason detail2023: Beat Rice 45-21 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl2024: Beat North Texas 30-28 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl2025: Beat Rice 41-10 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Ismail Mahdi (2023)
+8.5
27-20
2019–2022
Jake Spavital Steady
Jake Spavital held the Bobcats at Regional Program V for 4 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
+0.3 pts over 4 seasons · top 33% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Charlie Partridge’s Florida Atlantic run (2014–2016)
4th-best Texas State tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Followed Everett Withers (2016–2018) · succeeded by G.J. Kinne (2023–now).
System Shift, on arrival
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||
| Record | 3-9 | 2-10 | 4-8 | 4-8 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #129 | #99 | #135 | #127 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||
| Pass rate | 57.4 | 52.1 | 46.6 | 53.6 | |
| Coordinators | |||||
| OC | Bob Stitt | Jacob Peeler | Jacob Peeler | — | |
| DC | Zac Spavital | Zac Spavital | Zac Spavital | Zac Spavital | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||
| Offense | 10 | 47 | 29 | 19 | |
| Defense | 30 | 8 | 10 | 63 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||
| 1st-down pass% | 59.1 | 55.2 | 46.3 | 51.5 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 50.0 | 46.2 | 34.7 | 52.1 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 32.3 | 41.7 | 40.0 | 40.0 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Underperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
-15.1 pts
#164 of 208 · bottom quarter
Defense vs. talent
-14.3 pts
#163 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 typical amount of portal roster-building.
Portal arrivals
34
2.9★ avg rating
Portal departures
23
left via the portal
Net portal flow
+11
#57 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)
6′1″, 228 lbs
across 20 of 34 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
-3.3 lbs
#254 of 255 · bottom quarter
Avg. class year
Jr
#23 of 255 · top quarter
Top states: TX (9), AR (2), TN (1), IN (1), CO (1)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
51.2
position-weighted
Talent lost
46.0
position-weighted
Net
+5.2
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Layne Hatcher (QB) from Arkansas State
Biggest loss: Jaylen Gipson (QB) to North Alabama
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: Bob Stitt → Jacob Peeler · 2020
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 59.1% → 55.2% (-3.8 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 74% 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
202 lbs
6′1″ avg · #654 of 767 · bottom quarter
Running back
207 lbs
5′10″ avg · #424 of 791 · middle half
Wide receiver
185 lbs
6′0″ avg · #709 of 791 · bottom quarter
Tight end
242 lbs
6′4″ avg · #487 of 731 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
315 lbs
6′5″ avg · #153 of 779 · top quarter
D-line
284 lbs
6′1″ avg · #388 of 753 · middle half
Linebacker
228 lbs
6′1″ avg · #384 of 772 · middle half
Cornerback
184 lbs
5′11″ avg · #652 of 771 · bottom quarter
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 Quarterback via the portal
100%
#1 of 206 stints
Buys D-line via the portal
75%
#18 of 239 stints
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Jeremiah Haydel (2020)
+0.3
13-35
2018
Chris Woods Short tenure
No outlier style signal this stint
0-1
2016–2018
Everett Withers Steady
Everett Withers slid Texas State from Regional Program IV to Regional Program V in 3 seasons.
2016 offense ranked in the 2th percentile nationally — historically bad
−6.5 pts over 3 seasons · bottom 27% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Charlie Sadler’s Northern Illinois run (1991–1995)
3rd-best Texas State tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Followed Dennis Franchione (2012–2015) · succeeded by Jake Spavital (2019–2022).
System Shift, on departure
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 2-10 | 2-10 | 3-8 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #110 | #92 | #107 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | 49.3 | 43.8 | 42.5 | |
| Coordinators | ||||
| OC | Brett Elliott | Zak Kuhr / Parker Fleming | Zak Kuhr | |
| DC | Randall McCray | Randall McCray | Chris Woods | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | 2 | 15 | 11 | |
| Defense | 7 | 33 | 63 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | 46.2 | 41.0 | 33.8 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 44.1 | 47.7 | 36.6 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 38.5 | 26.9 | 23.3 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Underperforms his recruiting talent on offense and performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
-24.1 pts
#186 of 208 · bottom quarter
Defense vs. talent
-1.0 pts
#110 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: Brett Elliott → Zak Kuhr / Parker Fleming (co) · 2017
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 46.2% → 41.0% (-5.2 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 70% 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 Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Grows Tackle from high school
100%
#198 of 223 stints
−6.5
7-28
2012–2015
Dennis Franchione Steady
Dennis Franchione held Texas State at Regional Program IV for 4 seasons.
2012 defense ranked in the 2th percentile nationally — historically bad
2nd-best Texas State tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Succeeded by Everett Withers (2016–2018).
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||
| Record | 4-8 | 6-6 | 7-5 | 3-9 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #112 | #94 | #97 | #95 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||
| Pass rate | 46.6 | 38.9 | 41.5 | 47.8 | |
| Coordinators | |||||
| OC | — | — | Mike Schultz / Jeff Conway | Mike Schultz / Jeff Conway | |
| DC | — | — | John Thompson | John Thompson | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||
| Offense | 50 | 8 | 67 | 23 | |
| Defense | 2 | 45 | 30 | 4 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||
| 1st-down pass% | 46.4 | 29.6 | 34.0 | 36.4 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 37.0 | 20.9 | 35.5 | 33.0 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 48.4 | 29.4 | 34.1 | 27.6 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Underperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
-17.2 pts
#169 of 208 · bottom quarter
Defense vs. talent
-37.9 pts
#202 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.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Grows Running back from high school
100%
#196 of 208 stints
2 NFL Draft picks: Craig Mager (2015), David Mayo (2015)
Regional Program IV
20-28