As Maryland keeps working through its head-coaching search, Jason Eck keeps showing up near the top of the conversation.
The school has brought in TurnkeyZRG to help guide the national hunt, and Eck - the New Mexico head coach - has emerged as the top Group of Six name in the mix. At 49, he brings a résumé built the hard way, with stops across the coaching ladder before finally landing a head job and making the most of it.
Eck’s path started at Wisconsin, where he played offensive line from 1995-1998 and later returned as a general assistant. He got his first FBS coaching role at Colorado in 2002, then spent the next stretch from 2004-2015 climbing through FCS programs as a position coach.
His first major breakthrough came in 2016 at South Dakota State, where he coached the offensive line at one of the FCS’s premier programs. After three seasons there, he moved up to offensive coordinator before earning his first head-coaching opportunity at Idaho.
That Idaho run gave him a strong case for bigger jobs. In two seasons with the Vandals, Eck posted a 26-13 record and went 18-6 in Big Sky conference play. After leading Idaho to three consecutive FBS playoff appearances, he moved on to New Mexico.
That’s where his profile has really taken off. Eck inherited a program that had not been known for winning, and he’s changed the tone quickly in Albuquerque. Through halfway of his second season, New Mexico is 15-5 under his watch.
The identity is the selling point. Eck’s teams play with a hard edge, and that tracks with his background as a former offensive lineman.
He has built his program around physicality and discipline, and the results have followed. New Mexico’s turnover margin under Eck sits at plus-2.57, a number that could matter a lot if he brings that formula to the Power Four level.
His first year at New Mexico in 2025 ended with a 9-4 record, and the Lobos have started 2026 at 6-1, with the only loss coming to Oklahoma in Norman. They are 19th nationally in points per game at 37, and they also rank first in the FBS in points against per game at 11.3. That top-30 scoring offense is still rolling into November.
Eck is expected to be in the conversation for any Power Four opening this cycle, and Maryland is no exception. He is viewed as one of the leading names along with Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert. There had been plenty of talk that Eck might be in line for the Wisconsin job if Luke Fickell were moved on, but with that looking unlikely now, Eck appears set to remain available in this coaching carousel.
The fit in College Park goes beyond the record. Eck has built support there, and he has shown a knack for connecting with fans away from the field too, whether through his “The Office” skits or by referencing Madden in press conferences. For a program looking to spark its fanbase, he has a profile that stands out.
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