Former Jordan coach Eric Kjar made his Big Sky Conference debut Monday, July 27, appearing at Media Day in Airway Heights, Washington, as he prepares to rebuild a Weber State program loaded with more than 70 new players.

Kjar, 46, takes over a Wildcats team that went 4-8 last season under fired coach Mickey Mental. It's the first college job for a coach who spent 17 years reshaping the Canyons District football hierarchy from sidelines in Sandy and Draper.

"It's been really fun. I think for just the sheer fact I've never done this before, to be around the other coaches for a conference event like this, it's been awesome getting to meet the other guys," Kjar told ABC4 on Monday.

Kjar posted a 69-29 record at Jordan High School from 2009 to 2016, winning the Beetdiggers' 2012 state championship. He then moved to Corner Canyon, where he went 115-10 with six state titles and a Utah-record 48 consecutive wins from 2018 to 2021. His seven total state championships rank second in Utah prep football history.

Before he was a head coach, Kjar spent five years as an assistant at Jordan.

Corner Canyon pipeline follows him north

His Corner Canyon teams produced NFL first-round picks Zach Wilson and Jaxson Dart, plus offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson. Quarterback Devin Brown, another Corner Canyon product, followed Kjar to Ogden after stints at Ohio State and Cal.

Brown, who has thrown just 55 passes across four college seasons, told reporters at Media Day he's ready to prove skeptics wrong.

"There's a lot of doubters this year, especially after last year and coach Kjar never coaching college football before," Brown said. "... I'm excited to prove a lot of people wrong."

Weber State was picked ninth by coaches and 10th by media in the Big Sky preseason polls. Kjar signed a four-year contract, according to ABC4's December report on the hire.

What it means for the local landscape

Back in Draper, Corner Canyon remains ranked No. 1 in the Deseret News 6A preseason coaches poll despite the coaching change. Casey Sutera, Kjar's defensive coordinator for eight years, took over and the Chargers received five first-place votes. They return three offensive starters and five defensive starters as they chase a fourth consecutive title.

"We know we have a high expectation because of the standard coach Kjar has created at Corner Canyon," Sutera told the Deseret News on July 20. "We expect to keep the same tradition and we know that starts with the process."

Jordan, now coached by Marc Albertson, will face that Corner Canyon program and the rest of the Canyons District slate without Kjar on either sideline for the first time since 2008.

What's next

The Utah high school football season opens Thursday, August 13. Weber State kicks off Friday, August 28, at Northern Colorado.