Kiel McDonald - Football Coach

Kiel McDonald

Title:
Running Backs
Email:
football@usc.edu
Phone:
(213) 740-4204

Kiel McDonald, who has tutored some of the Pac-12's top running backs in recent years, enters his second season as the running backs coach.

McDonald coached Travis Dye, an All-Pac-12 Second Team selection, who would have earned first team honors should his season not have ended prematurely due to injury. Dye, a physical and emotional leader for the Trojans, rushed for 844 yards on 145 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, with 9 touchdowns. USC played in the Cotton Bowl to conclude the 2022 season.

He spent the previous 5 seasons (2017-21) as Utah's running backs coach. During his time, Utah led the Pac-12 in rushing in 2021 with All-Pac-12 first teamer Tavion Thomas eclipsing the 1,000-yard rushing barrier (he set Utah's single-season rushing TD record with 21) and in 2019 as All-American first teamer and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year Zack Moss achieved his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and became the program's all-time leading rusher (he set or tied 8 school records).  The late Ty Jordan was a Freshman All-American, AP Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year and the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2020 while averaging 119.4 rushing yards (tops among FBS freshmen).  The Utes won the Pac-12 South Division title in 2018-19-21 and were Pac-12 champs in 2021. They played in the 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl, 2018 Holiday Bowl, 2019 Alamo Bowl and 2022 Rose Bowl.

Before coming to Utah, the 39-year-old McDonald spent 5 years as the running backs coach at Eastern Washington (2012-16), where he was also the co-special teams' coordinator. Inheriting a run game that averaged just 79.0 yards in 2011, he helped the rushing attack improve to 183.7 yards per game by his second season.  The Eagles made the FCS playoffs 4 times during his time there, advancing to the national semifinals in 2012, 2013 and 2016 and to the quarterfinals in 2014.

McDonald was a graduate assistant offensive quality control coach at Arizona State in 2011, as the Sun Devils played in the Las Vegas Bowl.

He spent 2010 as the defensive backs and strength coach at San Jose City College in 2010. He also interned with the San Francisco 49ers in 2010, helping with the secondary.

He also coached at Gunderson High in San Jose (Calif.) and was a strength coach at Marshall Performance and Fitness in San Jose.

He was a cornerback at Sacramento City College in 2002 and 2003, earning All-NorCal Conference honorable mention as a sophomore.  He played 2 games at Arizona in 2004 before an injury ended his season.  He transferred to Sacramento State for the 2005 season, where he won Big Sky All-Academic honors, and then to Idaho in 2006, where he had 31 tackles, 5 pass breakups and an interception in 2006.

He earned his bachelor's degree in business communication from Sacramento State in 2006.

He prepped at Thomas B. Doherty High in Colorado Spring (Colo.), where he lettered in football, hockey, baseball and track.

He is from Milpitas, Calif. and was born on April 22, 1983. His first name is pronounced Kyle.