Matt Wade - Football Coach

Matt Wade

Title:
Quarterbacks Coach
Email:
matthewwade@mail.fresnostate.edu
Phone:
559-278-3015

THE WADE FILE

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Hometown: Concord, Calif.

EDUCATION
Saint Mary’s College
- Bachelors Degree in Business (2003)
Chapman University
- Masters in Education (2007)

COACHING HISTORY
Fresno State
2023-24: Quarterbacks
2022: Offensive Quality Control
Southern Utah University
2020-21: QB Coach/Offensive Coordinator
Pacific University (OR)
2013-2019: Quarterbacks/Offensive Coordinator/
Recruiting Coordinator
UC Davis
2012 – TE Coach
2010-11 – WR Coach
2007-09 – TE Coach
2006 – Defensive Quality Control
Ygnacio Valley High School
2001-04 – QB/WR/DB Coach

Last Updated: December 26, 2024

Matt Wade joined the Fresno State coaching staff as an offensive quality control for the Bulldogs in 2022. He assumed the role of quarterbacks coach in January 2023. In his time on staff at Fresno State, Wade coached a pair of the program’s most accurate pass throwers in program history in Jake Haener and Mikey Keene. Haener was drafted in the fourth round by the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL Draft, becoming Fresno State’s first QB to be drafted since Derek Carr in 2014.

Entering 2024, Wade had three quarterbacks ready for game action throughout the season in Mikey Keene, Joshua Wood and Jayden Mandal. All three played throughout the season, but Keene started in all 12 regular season games. He earned All-Mountain West honorable mention selection in 2024, continuing the trend at Fresno State with five consecutive seasons with an all-conference quarterback. Fresno State ranked fourth in the Mountain West in passing offense, averaging 242.5 yards per game.

Keene had a .705 completion percentage in 2024, the second-best mark in Fresno State history. He completed 277-of-393 pass attempts on the year. His 277 completions in 2024 are the 8th most in a season in program history. Keene set the program’s single game completion percentage record with a .885 (23-of-26) completion percentage at Air Force. The record was previously set by Derek Carr in 2012.

In addition to Keene, Wade coached up dual threat QB Joshua Wood. Wood, with a different skill set from Keene, was used in situational plays but was called to step up into a bigger role for the bowl game with Keene in the transfer portal. Wood’s season was highlighted by six rushing touchdowns on the year. Wood, only a sophomore, became the second Bulldog quarterback to have six rushing touchdowns in a season in the last 30 years.

In his first season as the quarterbacks coach in 2023, Wade mentored UCF transfer Mikey Keene in his first season as a Bulldog. Keene was an All-Mountain West honorable mention selection, while also picking up recognitions from the Davey O’Brien Award and the Manning Award. That season, Keene also had the program’s Top 10 numbers in completions, attempts, completion percentage and passing touchdowns.

As offensive quality control in 2022, Wade worked closely alongside then-offensive coordinator Kirby Moore and assisted with the quarterbacks. The 2022 season saw Fresno State become the first program in FBS history to start the season 1-4, and finish with 10 wins. Fresno State ended the year on a nine-game winning streak, and won the 2022 Mountain West Championship and the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.

Wade joined the Bulldog program from Southern Utah where he was the offensive coordinator in January of 2020, and served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Thunderbirds through the 2021 season.

In 2021, the Southern Utah offense was anchored by two-time HERO Sports first team all-american offensive lineman Braxton Jones. Jones was tabbed a first team All-Big Sky lineman while also earning an invitation to the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

In his first season as offensive coordinator at SUU (2020), Wade led an offensive unit that averaged 26.5 points per game and nearly 380 yards per contest. His quarterback, Justin Miller, was named an FCS Sophomore All-American by HERO Sports while offensive tackle Braxton Jones also garnered All-American honors.

Wade spent seven seasons with Pacific University (2013-19), serving as the team's Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.

While at Pacific, the Boxers found a lot of success on the offensive side of the ball. In 2019 the group set multiple school records, including yards per game (454.5 yards), points per game (34.7), rushing yards per game (187.2) and passing yards per game (267.3).

The offense also ranked seventh in the country in third down conversion percentage, while quarterback Kenyon Harris led the country in completion percentage.

In 2015, under his tutelage, quarterback Warner Shaw was named second team All-Northwest Conference. He broke Pacific's single-season mark for touchdown passes thrown (23) and left the program at its all-time leader in completion percentage (.669). In 2015, he completed 18- of-284 passes for 2,3965 yards with only six interceptions.

Over the course of four seasons under Wade’s direction, Boxer quarterbacks threw for over 7,000 yards and 74 touchdowns. Wade was instrumental in the efforts that earned J.T. Greenough honorable mention all-Northwest Conference honors in 2017 and in 2018. Greenough became the starter, following the graduation of Campbell Summerfield, who in 2016 as the starter, set new Pacific single-season records for passing yards (2,621) and touchdowns (23).

As the Boxers' recruiting coordinator, he was instrumental in the efforts to land players to Pacific that have made an immediate impact. Wade also organized numerous recruiting days to bring prospective players to campus.

Wade joined the staff at Pacific in 2013 as the co-offensive coordinator and then took on the role full-time in 2015. Wade spent seven seasons at UC Davis, including four years as the Aggies’ tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. In that role, he assisted in planning the pass and run game operations and also was the lead coach for the punt return team. Wade was responsible for coordinating all aspects of the Aggies’ recruiting efforts and actively recruited the San Francisco Bay Area.

Prior to his work with the tight ends, Wade spent the 2009 and 2010 campaigns as the team’s wide receivers coach. In those two seasons, the Aggies were ranked among the top-40 teams in Division I FCS in passing yards. Wade was tight ends coach in 2007 and 2008 and began his career in 2006 as a defensive assistant coach.

Prior to UC Davis, Wade was an assistant coach at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord, Calif., where he coached the defensive back, receivers and quarterback. In 2005, Wade was the program’s co-offensive coordinator.

Wade played one year of college football at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. He prepped at Ygnacio Valley High School. A native of Concord, Wade graduated from Saint Mary’s in 2003 with a degree in business and a minor in economics. He earned his master’s degree in education and California teaching credential from Chapman University in 2007.

He and his wife, Natalie, were married in June 2008. They have two children, a daughter, Johana and a son, Bennett.