Fresno State loses running backs coach to Mountain West rival, and larger contract

On the same day that Fresno State made official the hires of Pat McCann as offensive coordinator and Matt Wade as quarterbacks coach, it lost running backs coach James Montgomery to Mountain West Conference rival Boise State, highlighting one of the Bulldogs’ biggest challenges.

Coach Jeff Tedford in his two stints at his alma mater has had to fend off rival schools trying to poach his staff, with several moving up to Power Five Conference jobs including offensive coordinator Kirby Moore to Missouri and offensive line coach Saga Tuitele to Arizona State this offseason.

McCann, before accepting the job as offensive coordinator, also had an offer to be a position coach at the Power Five level, according to an athletics department source.

But Montgomery made a lateral move, at least in terms of the Group of Five level.

At Boise State, he received a two-year contract as well as a substantial raise to $195,000 in 2023 and $215,000 in 2024, according to a report from BroncoNationNews.

He was paid $125,000 last season at Fresno State, when coaching a group led by Jordan Mims, who led Mountain West running backs with 18 rushing touchdowns and was second in rushing yards with 1,370.

Fresno State, according to a source, made an effort to retain Montgomery. But it did not match the years or the salary from Boise State, which has thrown around a lot of money this offseason after losing to the Bulldogs in the conference championship game. Boise State has lost three of the past four times it has advanced to the title game, twice to Fresno State (2018 and 2022) and once to San Jose State (2020).

The Broncos extended the contract of defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson with a two-year deal worth $425,000 and $450,000, and hired Missouri quarterbacks coach Bush Hamdan to be their offensive coordinator with a two-year deal worth $400,000 in 2023 and $425,000 in 2024.

BULLDOGS LAGGING IN PAY TO ASSISTANTS

Fresno State last season paid defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle $350,000 and Moore $325,000.

Coyle has a two-year deal, and the contract includes several performance bonuses. He received 12% of his base salary for the Bulldogs winning the Mountain West title, and $5,000 for finishing in the top three in the conference in scoring defense. The Bulldogs were second, allowing just 19.4 points per game.

But Tedford again has an opening on his staff, and at times the hiring process at Fresno State can be unwieldy.

The university has allowed for emergency hires in the past, and this could be one with spring practices scheduled to open in March. The position will be popular, given the success Tedford assistants have had at Fresno State and moving on to Power Five programs. Jamie Christian was the running backs coach under Tedford in his first three seasons, but the Bulldogs coach could also go with an up-and-coming assistant, a group that includes Aaron Prier at FCS Sacramento State and Robbie Rouse at Cal Poly.

Prier worked with McCann at Eastern Washington, before he was hired at Sacramento State on Jan. 13. Rouse is the Bulldogs’ all-time leading rusher with 4,647 career yards.

This story was originally published January 31, 2023 at 6:23 PM.