Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Colorado
New era of Wildcat football begins Friday night at Northern Colorado
8/25/2026 10:18:00 AM | Football
Wildcats open the 2026 season under coach Eric Kjar Friday night at Northern Colorado.
• Weber State begins its 65th season of football as a four-year institution with perhaps has much intrigue as any season in recent memory.
• WSU welcomes Eric Kjar as the new head coach of the Wildcat football program. Coach Kjar comes to Ogden after unprecedented success in Utah high school football.
• The Wildcats have 80 new players on this year's squad.
• Weber State will play its first three games on the road for the second straight season.
• This year the Wildcats open the season with a Big Sky Conference game, the first time that has happened in 30 years.
• Both Weber State and Northern Colorado were 4-8 overall last season and 2-6 in Big Sky Conference play.
• It will be Friday Night Lights as the two teams kickoff Friday night in the first game under the lights in Greeley.
• Weber State holds an 11-2 all-time series lead over Northern Colorado, but the Bears won the last meeting two years ago.
• WSU is a perfect 5-0 all-time in Greeley.
Media coverage
For the first time, Northern Colorado has added lights to the stadium and Nottingham Field in Greeley. For the 2026 season opener, the Bears and Wildcats will meet on Friday night in a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Christian Saex and Matthew Gaitor calling the action.
The Weber State radio broadcast will be on 103.1 FM. The voice of the Wildcats Carl Arky will be joined by former Weber State quarterback Dave Stireman on radio broadcasts this season.
Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
The Eric Kjar era begins
Weber State named Eric Kjar as the 13th head coach in its Division I history on December 16, 2025. He joined the Wildcat program after unprecedented success as a Utah high school coach.
Kjar (pronounced: Care) posted a 112-10 record with six state championships over the last nine seasons as the head coach at Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah. He guided the Chargers to three consecutive state titles in 2018, 2019, and 2020, followed by three more championships in 2023, 2024, and 2025, along with two state runner-up finishes. His teams were nationally ranked multiple times, including as high as No. 8 in the nation. Corner Canyon also set a Utah state record with 48 consecutive wins from 2018 to 2021 and advanced to the national championship game in 2025.
Kjar coached multiple state MVPs and All-Americans, along with numerous Division I college players and NFL Draft picks, including quarterbacks Jaxson Dart and Zach Wilson.
Before Corner Canyon, Kjar spent eight seasons as the head coach at Jordan High School, where he posted a 69-29 record that included a state championship in 2012. He also served as an assistant coach for five years at Jordan before becoming head coach.
In 17 years as a high school head coach, Kjar compiled a career record of 181-39.
In addition to his head coaching responsibilities, Kjar will also be the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats.
New coaching staff
Kjar has also added several new members to the Wildcat coaching staff. Tanner Jacobsen was named the Associate Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator. Gavin Fowler is the new Defensive Coordinator.
Other new coaches are Isaac Asiata (offensive line), BJ Cavender (tight ends), former WSU player Kam Garrett (cornerbacks), former WSU player Isiah Jackson (wide receivers), Dustin Long, Ono Tafisi (defensive tackles), and Tana Vea (running backs).
Returning assistant coaches are Jace Campbell (outside linebackers), James Cowser (defensive ends), and Zach Larson (quarterbacks).
A whole lot of new
In addition to a new coaching staff, the Wildcats also welcome 80 new players to this year's squad. The team is made up of 35 transfers, including 11 Division I transfers.
Among the new players is starting quarterback Devin Brown, a fifth-year senior out of Gilbert, Arizona. Brown transferred to WSU this season after playing three seasons at Ohio State and one year at Cal. He was on the roster with the 2024 National Championship team at Ohio State.
Brown played his senior season of high school football in 2021 at Corner Canyon under coach Kjar. He was named the State MVP that season and threw for 4,881 yards and 57 touchdowns. In four seasons at Ohio State and Cal, Brown played in 26 career games.
Returners
Weber State returns 35 players off last year's squad that posted a 4-8 overall record and a 2-6 record in Big Sky play. Only 16 players return that played in at least six games last season.
Three straight road games to begin
For the second straight year, Weber State will start the season with three straight road games, but unlike last year's start, all three are at least in the same time zone. The Wildcats will play at Northern Colorado, Southern Utah, and Colorado to begin the season, but will then play six of the final nine games of the season at home.
The Wildcats are one of two schools in the Big Sky and 10 schools in all of FCS football to start the season with three straight road games.
New look Big Sky and new schedule format
This year will be a new feel to the Big Sky Conference. Sacramento State left the conference after 30 years and two new members in the state of Utah have joined.
Southern Utah has rejoined the Big Sky Conference and Utah Tech is now a member of the league, bringing the total to 13 football schools.
With FCS expanding to a 12-game season every year, the Big Sky has also moved to nine conference games this year and the first week will include conference games.
This is the just the fourth time in school history and the first in 30 years that Weber State will open a full season against a Big Sky opponent in 30 years. The last time the 'Cats opened the year against a conference team was in 1996 when they played Eastern Washington at home in the first week. WSU did open with a Big Sky game in the shortened spring 2021 season.
Team captains
As selected by their teammates, Weber State has named four teammates for the 2026 season. 5th year quarterback Devin Brown, junior wide receiver and kick returner Noah Kjar, 5th year cornerback Trevian Tribble, and 5th year linebacker Raimoana Tinirauarii will be the captains for this season.
Brown is a transfer to WSU after spending three seasons at Ohio State and one season at Cal. Kjar, the son of head coach Eric Kjar, is in his third season at Weber State. He has played in 14 games over two seasons with 19 receptions and one career kickoff return touchdowns.
Tribble and Tinirauarii are both in their fifth years at Weber State, having joined WSU in 2022.
Quick hits
The August 28 date for the season opener is tied for the earliest season opening date in Wildcat history. Two other times (2008 and 2014) has WSU opened the season on August 28, which is the earliest date ever...This year's roster is comprised of 53 players from the state of Utah, followed by 23 from California, and 13 from Texas...New WSU transfer tight end Kolby Howard spent the last two seasons on the roster at Northern Colorado. He was on the roster at Utah prior to Northern Colorado.
Weber State football history
This marks the 65th season of football at Weber State, since the school became a four-year institution. The Wildcats are charter members of the Big Sky Conference and have won eight Big Sky titles and advanced to the FCS Playoffs 10 times. WSU won four Big Sky titles and advanced to the FCS Playoffs six times under Jay Hill who was the head coach from 2014-22, now the defensive coordinator at Michigan. Veteran college football coaches Mike Price (1981-89) and Ron McBride (2005-11) were also head coaches at Weber State and led the Wildcats to Big Sky titles.
Wildcats in the NFL
Weber State currently has six former players on NFL rosters. Four-time All-American Rashid Shaheed won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks last year. Another former Wildcat is Taron Johnson, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders after eight years with the Buffalo Bills.
Former Wildcat Jack Kelly was drafted in the 2026 draft by the New York Giants. Kelly spent three seasons at Weber State before transferring to BYU.
Other former Wildcats currently on NFL rosters are Winston Reid (Cleveland Browns), Gavin Ortega (Denver Broncos), and Jonah Williams (Arizona Cardinals).
About Northern Colorado
Like Weber State, Northern Colorado is coming off a 4-8 overall record last year and a 2-6 record in Big Sky play. The Bears knocked off nationally ranked Idaho in Moscow last season, and finished the year with a win over Portland State.
Northern Colorado was picked 10th in the preseason Big Sky coaches poll, with Weber State just ahead in ninth place.
The Bears had three players named to the preseason all-conference team in offensive lineman Jack Ziebell, defensive lineman Ezra Ekuban, and long snapper Maddox Broughton.
Head coach Ed Lamb
The Bears are coached by Ed Lamb who is in his fourth season at Northern Colorado. He is 5-30 overall and 3-21 in three seasons with the Bears.
Lamb was also the head coach at Southern Utah for eight seasons from 2008-15 and led the Thunderbirds to a Big Sky title in 2015.
Coaching connections
The Weber State and Northern Colorado coaching staffs have several connections. After coaching and SUU and before going to Greeley, Ed Lamb was the assistant head coach at BYU from 2016-22. While at BYU he coached WSU Associate Head Coach Tanner Jacobson and Defensive Coordinator Gavin Fowler.
UNC defensive coordinator Preston Hadley has connections as well. Hadley played at BYU under Lamb and also played with Jacobson and Fowler. All four also spent time together on the BYU coaching staff.
Hadley was also an assistant coach at Weber State in 2016 and 2017 under Jay Hill. He was part of the 2017 Wildcat team that won the Big Sky and posted a school record 11 wins.
Series history
Weber State holds an 11-2 all-time series lead over Northern Colorado. This is the first meeting in two years and the Bears won the last game, a 21-17 win in Ogden in October 2024.
Northern Colorado's only other win was in 2012 in Ogden.
Weber State is a perfect 5-0 all-time in Greeley.
This will be the first game in Greeley since September 2023, a 28-21 Wildcat win. WSU trailed 21-7 after three quarters in that game, but rallied with three fourth quarter touchdowns for the win. The 'Cats had three interceptions in the fourth quarter, including a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by Winston Reid with 1:46 to play to seal the win.
Looking ahead
After Friday's season opener, Weber State will renew an old rival in Southern Utah as the 'Cats head to Cedar City on September 5. SUU is returning to the Big Sky after a four year absence from the league. This will be WSU's first game against the Thunderbirds since 2021.
After that, the 'Cats will play at Colorado on September 12, before the home opener on September 19 against Northwestern State.
