Jay Boulware facts for kids

Jay Boulware (born November 26, 1972) is an American college football coach. He is currently the running backs coach and special teams coordinator for the University of Kentucky. He has held these important roles since 2023.

Playing College Football

Jay Boulware played football at the University of Texas from 1992 to 1995. He was an offensive lineman, helping to protect his team's quarterback. During his time there, his team won the Southwest Conference Championship in both 1994 and 1995. He also played in two major bowl games: the 1994 Sun Bowl and the 1996 Sugar Bowl.

In 1996, Boulware earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Texas.

Jay Boulware's Coaching Journey

Jay Boulware's coaching career began while he was still a student at the University of Texas. After playing as a backup offensive tackle for two years, he was set to become a starter in 1993. However, his playing career ended when doctors found he had a heart condition called cardiac arrhythmia.

Since he could no longer play, he became a student-assistant coach for the Longhorns. In 1996, he became a graduate assistant, working with the tight ends.

Early Coaching Roles

Boulware got his first full-time coaching job at Northern Illinois University. He coached tight ends there. After one season, he was promoted to co-offensive line coach. During his four years at Northern Illinois, he helped create one of the best offenses in the country. His team ranked high in rushing, scoring, and total offense.

In 2001, Boulware moved to Arizona to coach tight ends. This was also his first time being in charge of special teams. The next year, his team's kick return unit was ranked 4th in the nation. After a coaching change at Arizona, Boulware joined the Stanford staff as the running backs coach. In 2004, he also worked with the San Francisco 49ers through an NFL program to improve his coaching skills.

Coaching Special Teams and Running Backs

After his time at Stanford, Boulware joined the Utah team as the tight ends coach. He also helped lead the special teams as co-coordinator. Under his guidance, Utah had the top-ranked punting unit in the nation.

In 2007, he moved to Iowa State as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator. In his first year, two new running backs, Alexander Robinson and J.J. Bass, each had two games where they ran for over 100 yards. This was a first for the team since 2002. Iowa State's special teams also improved a lot. In 2008, they were second in the Big 12 for punting. Their kickoff returns also jumped from 109th to 12th nationally.

When his head coach moved to Auburn, Boulware went with him in 2009. He became the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. In 2011, Auburn was a top team in the SEC for kickoff returns and kickoff coverage. They also allowed very few punt return yards in 2012, ranking second in the country in punt return defense.

In 2013, Boulware briefly joined the staff at Wisconsin before taking the same position at Oklahoma. He coached there for several years.

Bowl Game Experience

Coach Boulware has coached in many important bowl games throughout his career. These include the 1994 Sun Bowl, 1995 Sugar Bowl, 1997 Fiesta Bowl, 2005 Emerald Bowl, 2006 Armed Forces Bowl, 2010 Outback Bowl, 2011 BCS National Championship Game, 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl, and the 2014 Sugar Bowl.

Since December 2022, Boulware has been coaching at Kentucky as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator.

Notable Players Coached

Jay Boulware has helped many talented players during his coaching career.

• At Texas, he coached Pat Fitzgerald, who was named an All-American.
• At Northern Illinois, he coached Ryan Diem, who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2001. He also helped recruit Michael Turner, who later became a running back for the Atlanta Falcons.
• At Arizona, he coached Mike Bell, a running back who later played for the New Orleans Saints.
• At Utah, he coached Brent Casteel, a freshman kick returner who earned honors from Sporting News.
• At Iowa State, he coached Leonard Johnson, a freshman kick returner who set an NCAA FBS single-game record with 319 kickoff return yards against Oklahoma State.
• At Auburn, he coached Tre Mason, a freshman who ranked high in kick returns. He also coached Steven Clark, an All-America punter, and Wes Byrum, a kicker who set an Auburn record for field goal percentage. Philip Lutzenkirchen, a tight end, also set an Auburn record for career touchdown receptions under Boulware's coaching.

Personal Life

Jay Boulware is married to Chantay Sanders-Boulware. They have one daughter named Jordin.