BYU has finally made it official.
TJ Woods will be joining Kalani Sitake’s staff as the Cougars’ new offensive line coach and run game coordinator, the program announced Thursday morning in a press release.
“TJ coaches his players the right way with great technique, fundamentals, toughness and has proven it in multiple places,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said in a statement. “He really loves his boys and helps them increase their football IQs while coaching them into consistent NFL draft picks wherever he has been. I am looking forward to having him and his family with us.”
The hiring was initially reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Dec. 11 and then confirmed by the Deseret News. Woods is set to replace Darrell Funk, who was not retained by the Cougars following a disappointing season.
The title of run game coordinator is new for BYU, which already has Fesi Sitake in a similar position for the team’s passing game.
Woods will head to Provo directly from coaching Georgia Southern’s O-line in 2023. He previously spent time at Wisconsin, Utah State, Western Kentucky and UNLV, and he also made a stop at Oregon State, where he and Sitake were part of the same Beavers staff in 2015.
The 43-year-old Woods has coached a number of All-American linemen over the past two decades while holding two separate co-offensive coordinator stints.
“TJ came highly recommended by multiple offensive coordinators and head coaches that he has worked for,” BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said in a statement. “He is a terrific coach that comes here with a reputation as a great technician that has had success running the ball from many different offensive systems. TJ is also a relentless recruiter that has proven he can develop offensive linemen and prepare them for the NFL.”
With the hiring of Woods, BYU still has one coaching vacancy to fill as it looks to replace tight ends coach Steve Clark, who, like Funk, was not retained by the Cougars.