The Spavital File
Personal Information |
Birthday |
May 1 |
Hometown |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Education |
Missouri State, 2008 (Bachelor's) |
Playing Career |
Missouri State, 2004-07 |
Family |
Wife - Mehgan; Daughter - Madison Grace; Son - Landyn Zachary |
Coaching History |
2008 |
Tulsa -
Offensive Quality Control |
2009 |
Houston -
Offensive Graduate Assistant/Quarterbacks |
2010 |
Oklahoma State -
Offensive Graduate Assistant/Quarterbacks |
2011-12 |
West Virginia -
Quarterbacks |
2013 |
Texas A&M -
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
2014-15 |
Texas A&M -
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
2016-17 |
California -
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
2017 |
California -
Interim Head Coach |
2017-18 |
West Virginia -
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
Jake Spavital, who returned to West Virginia as the offensive coordinator in 2017, is in his sixth year as an offensive coordinator and 10
thyear overall as a football coach.
Spavital has been the playcaller of some of top offenses in college football and has developed some of the most talented quarterbacks in the country.
He reunited once again with WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen, who Spavital worked on his staff for half of his coaching tenure.
His pupil, quarterback Will Grier was ranked among the nation’s top-10 players in several offensive categories after finishing with 3,490 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. Grier is the top quarterback returning in the Big 12 Conference heading into this senior season and has been projected as one of the top in the nation.
WVU’s offense ranked No. 3 nationally in fourth-down conversion percentage, No. 8 in fewest tackles for loss allowed, No. 13 in passing offense, No. 16 in passing efficiency, No. 20 in total offense and No. 25 in first-down offense, sacks allowed and passing yards per completion.
Spavital returned to Morgantown after serving as the interim head coach at Cal in January 2017. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Bears in 2016.
In 2016, his first year as the offensive coordinator at Cal, Spavital made an immediate impact, guiding the Bears’ offense to top 25 national rankings in eight categories, including ranking No. 4 in passing offense, averaging 358.8 yards per game, No. 8 in first down offense (335), No. 10 in total offense, averaging 518.3 yards per game and No. 22 in scoring offense, averaging 37.1 points per game.
Cal established single-school records for pass completions (383), first downs by penalty (35), fewest fumbles lost (3) and fewest turnovers (15), while equaling a school mark for field goals made (22). Cal’s 118 plays and 40 first downs in a 52-49 double overtime win against Oregon set FBS and school single-game records.
Quarterback Davis Webb, Athlon Sports’ Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year, passed for 4,295 yards with 37 passing touchdowns. He ranked No. 3 nationally in completions and points responsible for per game (21.7), No. 4 in total offense (348.8), No. 5 in passing yards and tied for No. 8 in passing touchdowns.
Prior to Cal, he spent three years at Texas A&M, first season as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and the final two as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Texas A&M was 25-14 during Spavital’s three-year stint with the Aggies, including 8-5 marks in his final two years as the offensive coordinator.
In 2014, the Aggies led the Southeastern Conference and ranked among the nation’s leaders, in passing touchdowns (39), tying for No. 7 nationally and was No. 12 in passing offense (305.5).
In 2013, the Aggies set single-season SEC and school records with 4,593 passing yards and had 6,999 total yards of offense to rank No. 2 in SEC and Texas A&M history, No. 4 nationally in total offense (538.4) and No. 7 in passing offense (353.3).
The Aggies broke the school record for completion percentage by connecting on 69.3 percent of their passes and finished No. 3 in SEC history. Quarterback Johnny Manziel threw 37 touchdown passes, tying for No. 4 in the nation, while passing for 4,114 yards, ranking No. 8 nationally.
Spavital was the quarterbacks coach for two seasons at West Virginia for Geno Smith, who finished his collegiate career in 2012 with 11,662 passing yards and 98 touchdowns. The Mountaineers ranked No. 9 nationally in passing efficiency (161.97) and scoring offense (39.5 ppg), No. 10 in passing offense (330.2) and total offense (502.0). Smith was No. 5 nationally in passing yards (4,205) and passing yards per game (323.5 ypg) as well as No. 6 in passing efficiency (163.86).
In his first season at West Virginia in 2011, Spavital helped lead the Mountaineers to a 10-3 overall record and a win over Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl. West Virginia ranked No. 6 nationally in passing offense (346.9) and was No. 13 in scoring offense (37.6), No. 15 in total offense (469.5) and No. 19 in passing efficiency.
Spavital spent the 2010 as an offensive graduate assistant at Oklahoma State and Houston in 2009, both under Holgorsen. Spavital began his coaching career as an offensive quality control assistant under Gus Malzahn at Tulsa in 2008.
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Spavital, a two-year letterwinner as a quarterback and punter for Missouri State from 2004-07, earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2008.
Spavital was a consensus first-team all-state quarterback at Union High School in Tulsa. He posted a 26-1 career record as the starting quarterback and led Union to the Class 6A state title in 2002.
Spavital is married to the former Mehgan Morris, one of the top Mountaineer gymnasts in school history. They have a daughter, Madison Grace, and a son, Landyn Zachary. His father, Steve, is a former high school football coach, while his brother Zac is the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas Tech.