BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake today announced the hiring of Kevin M. Gilbride, a 20-year coaching veteran with more than a decade of NFL coaching experience, as the Cougars’ tight ends coach.

“I am so excited to welcome Kevin, his wife Rachel, and their family to BYU,” Sitake said. “Kevin brings expertise and incredible experience to the tight end room. He has won as a tight ends coach at the highest level, comes with an extensive knowledge of the position and is highly regarded in the college coaching ranks and in the NFL. Kevin will be an excellent mentor for our young men in that position group and for our entire program.”

Gilbride, who attended BYU as a freshman quarterback in 1998 playing for LaVell Edwards before transferring to Hawaii, returns to Provo from the Charlotte 49ers of the American Athletic Conference following 12 years coaching in the NFL.

“BYU is a special place where I started my college career and to come back full circle and coach here with my family is such an incredible opportunity.” Gilbride said. “I have a deep respect and appreciation for the university and what it stands for, its tradition and passionate fans, and all of the people associated with it. Those things make a difference, and I am excited to be a part of this program again.”

Gilbride worked in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and New York Giants, where he earned a Super Bowl ring. He served under NFL head coaches Tom Coughlin, Ben McAdoo, Matt Nagy and Matt Rhule. Prior to coaching in the NFL, Gilbride began his football coaching career at the collegiate level at Syracuse, Georgetown and Temple.

“Kevin’s resume speaks for itself,” BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “He has been a tight ends coach for most of his career. He brings the expertise to elevate the established tradition of great tight end play at BYU and to develop our players for the NFL.”

Prior to Charlotte where he served as an offensive analyst last season, Gilbride worked two seasons with the Carolina Panthers from 2021-22, spending the first year as a defensive analyst before being promoted to the tight ends coach for the 2022 season.

With Carolina, Gilbride helped the Panthers set franchise single-game records in 2022 in both total yards (570) and rushing yards (320). As a defensive assistant in 2021, Gilbride was responsible for preparing in-depth tendency studies of upcoming offenses, pass route diagramming and unique offensive coach insights for the defensive staff.

Gilbride was the tight ends coach for the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2019. In his first season, the Bears won the NFC North for the first time since 2010. Gilbride’s top tight end, Trey Burton, finished with a career-high 54 receptions for 569 yards and six touchdowns, ranking tied for fourth among NFC tight ends.

Before getting to Chicago, Gilbride spent eight seasons on the staff with the New York Giants, helping the team win Super Bowl XLVI. He worked as an offensive quality control assistant in 2010 and an offensive assistant in 2011, wide receivers coach for two years (2012-13) and spent four years as the tight ends coach from 2014-2017.

Gilbride was an offensive assistant for the 2011 New York team that won Super Bowl XLVI, 21-17, over the New England Patriots. Quarterback Eli Manning set new career highs in nearly every statistical category in that offense, throwing for a franchise record 4,933 yards and 29 touchdowns. Manning’s top target was Cruz, who caught 82 passes for a franchise record 1,536 yards, third in the NFL, and nine touchdowns. New York’s other offensive weapons included Hakeem Nicks (76 receptions, 1,192 yards, seven touchdowns), Mario Manningham (39 receptions and 523 yards in 12 games) and tight end Jake Ballard (38 receptions, 604 yards).

Before his first NFL season as a quality control assistant for the Giants in 2010, Gilbride was the wide receivers coach at Temple from 2007-09. In 2008, Gilbride coached wideout Bruce Francis, an All-MAC honoree, to 45 catches with 687 yards and a Temple Division I school-record 13 touchdowns. Francis finished his collegiate career with at least one reception in a school-record 38 consecutive games and with the most receiving touchdowns in school history at 23.

Gilbride coached at Georgetown in 2006 where he worked with slot receivers and tight ends in addition to coaching the kickoff coverage units and other special teams duties. Prior to Georgetown, Gilbride was a graduate assistant for three seasons at Syracuse, including two years on the offensive side. Three players earned first-team All-Big East honors during Gilbride’s time on the Syracuse coaching staff.

After attending BYU as a freshman, Gilbride played both football and baseball during his college years at the University of Hawaii before graduating in 2003 with a degree in communications. He and his wife Rachel have one daughter. His father, Kevin Gilbride, was an NFL coach for more than 20 years, including serving as a head coach and offensive coordinator.

Mozingo among five BYU players selected in NWSL Draft

Five BYU women’s soccer players were selected in the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League draft Friday evening.

Midfielder Brecken Mozingo was selected by the Utah Royals with the fourth overall pick, followed defender Olivia Smith-Griffitts being selected by the Utah Royals with the 20th overall pick.

Midfielder Olivia Wade-Katoa was selected by the Portland Thorns with the 23rd overall pick, with midfielder Jamie Shepherd going next as she was selected by Bay FC with the 30th overall pick.

The last Cougar selected was defender Laveni Vaka, who was picked by Bay FC with the 55th overall pick.

This is the highest number of BYU soccer players to be drafted in a single season. The last Cougars drafted into the NWSL were Mikayla Colohan and Cameron Tucker following the 2021 College Cup runner-up season. BYU has had eight soccer players drafted, dating back to 2013, with four currently playing in the league.

There are 56 picks in the 2024 NWSL draft with 14 selections in each of four rounds. This is the first NWSL broadcast on ION since the announcement in November of a landmark distribution agreement involving Scripps Sports/ION, CBS Sports, ESPN and Prime Video.

Cougar runner Aidan Troutner sets indoor mile mark

Aidan Troutner ran a 3:59.2 mile, cementing a new Smith Fieldhouse record, Saturday afternoon in the final day of Cougar Invitational competition to place him at No. 1 in the nation.

Troutner’s sub-four minute mile places him at No. 1 in the nation when adjusted for altitude (3:54.51). With the altitude adjustment, Troutner’s time is the fastest in school history. It beat his previous career-best time of 4:00.58 that he set nearly two years ago at the Washington-Dempsey Indoor Invitational at sea level in Seattle, Wash. The hometown boy from Provo, UT ran the fastest mile in facility history. The Smith Fieldhouse sits at 4,553 feet of altitude. In addition, Troutner’s finish marks the first indoor sub-four minute mile in the state of Utah.

“I think we expected someone to run sub-four, like we attempted to hit last year,” Troutner said. “I think this year, I was in better shape going into it. Hopefully this time gives me a national qualifier. It was really, really special to be able to have my first time running sub-four here at the Smith Fieldhouse. It was awesome.”

The career-best performance earned Troutner the No. 7 spot in the program’s top-10 board, barely nudging out former teammate who turned professional this week Kenneth Rooks who held the spot at 3:59.65. Rooks also paced the first three laps for Troutner.

“It was phenomenal,” said director of track and field Ed Eyestone. “What a way to start the 2024 track season. I’m very excited for him. He worked so hard during cross country, and this is a really exciting way for him to get the indoor season going. I’m pretty confident that, that time will hold up to get him to Boston for the national meet. Banner day for him and the top performance of the week for sure.”

BYU men’s volleyball loses five-set thriller

No. 9 BYU men’s volleyball fell 3-2 (16-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-11, 13-15) in five sets against the No. 15 Lewis Flyers in Neil Carey Arena Saturday evening for the Cougars’ first loss of the season.

“These games were exactly what we wanted and needed out of this road trip,” said BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead. “Our team battled all night long. It was a slow start in the first set, but the players who came off the bench gave us a spark and lift. Jackson Fife steadied things out and Trent Moser put a lot of pressure on Lewis. Tyler Herget did a great job moving the ball around and serving very well. Miks was an important part of our efforts as well. After the game, I told the guys how proud I was of them and loved being in that match with them.”

After losing the first two sets, the Cougars (3-1) bounced back to win the next two and dropped set five by just two points, after 11 ties. Off the bench, Trent Moser led the Cougars in kills with 14, with a .417 hitting percentage. Sophomore transfer Tyler Herget also came off the bench to record a career-high four aces and career-high 32 assists.

Cougar women’s gymnastics scores 196.100

The BYU women’s gymnastics team took home a third-place finish in the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, with a team score of 196.100 Saturday evening.

No. 6 Cal took first with a score of 197.875, followed by No. 14 Michigan State (196.725), No. 19 BYU (196.100) and No. 33 NC State (195.675).

Scoring a 9.850 on beam and a 9.825 on bars, senior Allix Mason earned the BYU MVP in tonight’s competition.

Newsletter