247Sports shares today that Texas State is closing in on New Mexico's Kiel McDonald to coach its running backs, a move that would bring an experienced position coach with deep Texas recruiting ties and NFL experience onto GJ Kinne's staff.
For Kinne and the Bobcats, who make the jump to the Pac-12 this fall, McDonald checks a lot of boxes. He has coached at nearly every level of the sport, he successfully recruited the state of Texas and brings a lot of relationships in the Lone Start State, and he has developed backs who went on to play on Sundays.
His resume runs deep. McDonald spent five seasons at Utah from 2017 through 2021, where he coached some of the most productive backs in the Pac-12. He developed Zack Moss into an NFL draft pick, coached the late Ty Jordan, and helped Tavion Thomas set a Utah single-season record with 21 rushing touchdowns in 2021 while the Utes led the league in rushing.
From there he moved to USC for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, where Travis Dye earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors in his first year with the Trojans.
That work in Los Angeles caught the eye of Jim Harbaugh, who brought McDonald with him to coach running backs for the Chargers in 2024. Time in an NFL room is rare on a staff at this level, and it plays both inside the building and out on the recruiting trail.
Most recently, McDonald landed at New Mexico, joining Jason Eck's staff as an offensive assistant this spring after Eck's first season in Albuquerque. Eck was named Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2025 after turning the Lobos around in a hurry.
Before his run through the Pac-12 and the NFL, McDonald cut his teeth at Eastern Washington (FCS), where he coached running backs and served as co-special teams coordinator from 2012 through 2016.
For Texas State, the fit makes a lot of sense. Kinne has leaned heavily on in-state recruiting to build the Bobcats, and McDonald's history recruiting Texas gives him a head start on the ground here. Add in the NFL pedigree and a long track record of developing backs, and it is easy to see why San Marcos is zeroing in.
He's set to be replacing Barrick Nealy, a Bobcat legend who left the program in early July. Nealy, a former Texas State quarterback who returned to San Marcos to coach the running backs, stepped away on July 6 to pursue an opportunity outside of football and spend more time with his family. Kinne has been hunting for a replacement since, wanting someone with in-state ties in place before fall camp, which is exactly the profile McDonald fits.
Kinne is entering year four at Texas State, and their first season in the new-look Pac-12, and opened his tenure with the Bobcats with back-to-back 8-5 seasons before a 7-5 season last fall. Combined with one electric 12-2 season leading Incarnate Word (FCS - TX) in 2022, Kinne carries an overall record of 35-18 as a head coach.
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