Weber State hires Corner Canyon’s Eric Kjar as Wildcats head coach

Weber State announced Dec. 16, 2025 that it has named Eric Kjar as the next head coach of the Wildcats, moving quickly to replace Mickey Mental after an exhaustive national search. Kjar arrives from Corner Canyon High School, where he won seven Utah state titles and built a reputation as one of the most successful high school coaches in the state and nationally.

Tim Crompton, Weber State director of athletics, framed the hire as a program-defining decision and emphasized Kjar’s local ties and recruiting acumen. “Coach Kjar is absolutely the right leader at the right time,” Crompton said in a news release. “His deep Utah roots, proven leadership, and unwavering ability to build a program on a foundation of talent and character are the precise qualities that Weber State is looking for to define our next era of football. Coach Kjar has the skill to recruit and retain student-athletes who will not only build a winning program but also exemplify the traits that define our institutional core values. We are confident his vision and leadership will elevate our entire program to sustained success.” Crompton added that the search was exhaustive and thanked the administration, hiring committee, and search firm College Sports Solutions for their work in securing Kjar and his family for Ogden.

Kjar, a native of Kemmerer, Wyoming, played quarterback and receiver at Division II Wayne State from 2000–2003 and holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Wayne State. “I’m very excited to be leading the Weber State football program,” Kjar said in a news release. “I believe strongly in the administration and the current roster and the talent in the state of Utah. I know we can build a championship-caliber program at Weber State, and I look forward to the challenge and getting started.”

The hire follows the dismissal of Mickey Mental, who was fired with two games left in his third season and leaves a Weber State ledger of 13–20 overall, 8–14 in Big Sky play, and 3–8 in home conference games. Kjar becomes the 13th head coach in Weber State football’s Division I history and would be the 12th to coach in a game. Some public records list his coaching tenure as beginning in 2026, a notation that reflects calendar and season conventions after the Dec. 16 announcement.

Kjar’s family connections to the program are immediate. Son Noah Kjar was a Weber State sophomore in 2025; he played three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury after posting 16 catches for 200 yards in 2024 and returning a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown at Montana. Son Tate Kjar has spent two seasons at Utah State with no recorded stats. Local coverage has also asked whether former Corner Canyon quarterback Isaac Wilson might follow Kjar through the transfer portal; that possibility remains speculative.

Weber State scheduled a late-afternoon press conference the day of the announcement and has since begun assembling staff additions on its site. The transition poses an immediate test: can a coach with dominant high school success translate that track record to FCS recruiting, game planning, and Big Sky competition? For Wildcats fans, the answer will shape recruiting battles across Utah and the immediate offseason focus on transfers, staff hires, and player recovery timelines.