Texas Tech football is undergoing changes among its current coaching staff. One coach tied to Red Raiders legend Patrick Mahomes rose as the favorite to replace Tom Herman at Florida Atlantic. Now, Zach Kittley is taking over the Owls.

The Red Raiders offensive coordinator Kittley first emerged as the leading candidate for the Owls' head coaching job Monday morning, per Pete Nakos of On3.com. Kittley and FAU officially started finalizing a deal to work together before 6:30 p.m. ET., with Football Scoop reporting the update.

Kittley's ties to the three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback stretches back a decade. Kittley started off as a student then graduate assistant in 2013 at TTU. Mahomes took over the QB reins in Lubbock one year later. Kittley was around Mahomes as a GA on the Red Raiders staff under former head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Kittley was on staff during Mahomes' breakout 2016 and 2017 seasons. The future QB1 of the Kansas City Chiefs led the nation in passing yardage during both campaigns. Mahomes also tossed a combined 77 touchdowns during that span.

Kittley's last season in Lubbock was 2017 before going on a second stint with the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech assistant worked with more than Patrick Mahomes

Texas Tech Red Raiders offensive coordinator Zach Kittley reacts after the Cincinnati Bearcats miss a field goal at the end of the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field
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The 33-year-old Kittley has gone on a steady climb to head coach. Mahomes is also not the only future NFL QB Kittley worked with.

He ran the offense for Houston Christian and coached quarterbacks from 2018 to 2020. He then dove into the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) realm in 2021 by joining Western Kentucky. Kittley was the OC behind Bailey Zappe breaking major collegiate records. Zappe shredded defenses with 5,967 yards in that '21 campaign.

Kittley later constructed one of the nation's dominating offenses in 2024. His Red Raiders offense racked up an average of 459.8 yards per game this season. Texas Tech delivered the nation's 10th ranked offense. But the top ranked unit among Big 12 Conference teams.

The Red Raiders went 8-4 this season. Kittley's unit recently dropped 52 on West Virginia to close out the regular season. And that 52-15 rout of the Mountaineers opened up the WVU head coaching job, as Neal Brown was fired afterward.

He'll take over for a former Big 12 Conference head coach. Herman took the FAU gig three years after his firing from Texas. However, he went 6-16 with the Owls and got fired in-season. Herman is 60-38 as a head coach, including winning 32 games with the Longhorns.

Kittley becomes the seventh head coach in FAU history. He'll look to fix an offense that ranked 56th in the nation.