Jake Kostner - Football Coach - Central Michigan University Athletics

Jake Kostner

Title:
Quarterbacks
E-Mail Address:
kostn1jj@cmich.edu
Phone:
(989) 774-3896
Year at CMU:
2nd year of second stint at CMU
Hometown:
Grand Haven, Mich.
Alma Mater/Year:
Michigan/2018
Experience:
9th year

Jake Kostner enters his second year of his second stint with the Central Michigan football program as its quarterbacks coach. Previously, Kostner spent the 2019 season in Mount Pleasant as an offensive graduate assistant under Head Coach Jim McElwain.

In his first season as CMU’s quarterbacks coach, Chippewas quarterbacks combined for 2,752 total yards (585 rushing and 2,167 passing yards) and 27 touchdowns (12 rushing, 15 passing).

Kostner returned to Central Michigan after spending one year as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Limestone University in Gaffney, S.C. under head coach Mike Furrey. He helped lead the Saints to one of the most impressive offensive turnarounds in NCAA history as Limestone earned an NCAA Division II playoff appearance, finished 8-4 and 7-2 in the South Atlantic Conference in 2022. Limestone’s offense was named the nation’s No. 1 most improved unit after averaging 34.8 points (No. 22 in the nation), 464.3 total offensive yards per contest (No. 9), 197.9 rushing yards, and 266.4 yards passing per game (No. 19). During the previous season and before Kostner arrived, the Saints finished 0-9, ranked No. 152 in scoring offense (13.2), No. 140 in total offense (273.4) and No. 129 in passing offense (167.0).

Prior to his one-year stint at Limestone, Kostner spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as an offensive graduate assistant coach at Texas, working with the quarterbacks and wide receivers under both Tom Herman and Steve Sarkisian.

The Longhorns ranked in the top 20 nationally in the FBS during his two seasons in Austin, posting 35.2 points per game in 2021 (No. 18) and 42.7 points per game in 2020 (No. 8). Texas concluded the 2020 campaign ranked in the top 20 in both passing efficiency (156.2) and 19^th in total offense with 475.4 yards per game.

In 2021, Kostner played a key role in developing Xavier Worthy during a record-setting season that culminated in Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors and a Freshman All-American selection. Additionally, running back Bijan Robinson put up 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground while adding 26 catches for 295 yards and four receiving touchdowns, despite missing two games.

In 2020, the Longhorns fielded a high-powered offense that ranked among the nation’s top 40 in both passing offense (No. 27: 280.1 yards per game) and rushing offense (No. 37, 195.3 yards per game). Texas put up an unbelievable 42.7 points per game, a mark that ranks second in the program’s storied history, while quarterback Sam Ehlinger completed 60.1 percent of his passes and led the Big 12 with 25 touchdown throws. As a freshman, Robinson led the nation with 8.2 yards per carry while 12 Longhorns had a touchdown catch.

In this lone year as a graduate assistant under offensive coordinator Charlie Frye at Central Michigan, Kostner was part of a staff that guided a seven-game turnaround as the Chippewas went from a one-win team in 2018 to an 8-6 mark and a Mid-American Conference West Division Championship in 2019. CMU earned a berth in the New Mexico Bowl after an historic season. The Chippewas recorded 424 points, the fourth-highest total in program history, ranked second in the MAC in passing yardage, and had two running backs gain for more than 1,000 yards for the first time in program history. The 2019 team averaged 30.1 points per game, more than doubling the team’s production in 2018.

Prior to his time at Central Michigan, Kostner was a four-year student assistant under Jim Harbaugh and McElwain at Michigan, while also interning with the Cleveland Browns during the summer of 2017.

A native of Grand Haven, Mich., Kostner graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in sports management from the University of Michigan in 2018 and received his master of education degree in sport management from Texas in 2023.

Kostner resides in Mount Pleasant with his wife Kelly.

THE KOSTNER FILE

Hometown: Grand Haven, Mich.

Education
Bachelor of Arts, Sports Management, University of Michigan, 2018
Master of Education, Sports Management, University of Texas, 2023

Coaching Career
Quarterbacks Coach, Central Michigan University, 2023
Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, Limestone University, 2022
Offensive Graduate Assistant Coach, University of Texas, 2020-21
Offensive Graduate Assistant Coach, Central Michigan University, 2019
Coaching Intern, Cleveland Browns, 2017
Student Assistant Coach, University of Michigan, 2015-18