Zach Lujan - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach - Football Coaches

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

Zach Lujan

Title:
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Email:
Zachary.Lujan@sdstate.edu
Recruiting Area:
South Dakota

Zach Lujan (pronounced LOO-hahn), who helped lead the Jackrabbits to three consecutive Football Championship Subdivision playoff berths as a player, is in his sixth season as an assistant coach on the offensive side of the ball at South Dakota State University. Lujan has served as the team’s quarterbacks coach since 2019, after serving as running backs coach his first season. He was named the Jackrabbits' offensive coordinator following the 2021 season.

During the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season, Lujan oversaw the development of freshman quarterback Mark Gronowski, who started all 10 games as the Jackrabbits advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision national title game. Gronowski swept the Missouri Valley Football Conference awards by being named Freshman of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. Gronowski, who accounted for 2,142 yards of total offense and 23 touchdowns (15 passing, 7 rushing, 1 receiving) also was honored as Phil Steele FCS Freshman of the Year and finished as runner-up for the Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award.

As football returned to the fall in 2021, Lujan helped mentor graduate transfer Chris Oladokun, who took over for an injured Gronowski. Oladokun started all 15 games en route to earning honorable mention all-MVFC recognition, as well as a spot on the league's All-Newcomer Team. Oladokun completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 3,164 yards and 25 touchdowns in helping lead SDSU to an 11-4 record and a berth in the FCS semifinals. Oladokun was later selected in the seventh round of the National Football League Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Lujan took over play-calling duties in 2022 and directed a balanced offensive attack that was bolstered by the return of Gronowski, who earned second-team all-MVFC honors in helping lead the Jackrabbits to an outright league title with a perfect 8-0 record. The Jackrabbits began to hit their stride offensively during league play and racked up more than 200 rushing yards in each of their four FCS playoff victories. Two of SDSU's top-three yardage totals came in their final two postseason games, 473 yards versus Montana State and a season-high 506 yards en route to their victory over North Dakota State in the national championship game.

Overall, SDSU averaged 34.2 points and 384.6 yards of total offense per game en route to the program's first national title.

As he took over coaching duties for the position he played collegiately, Lujan worked with three different quarterbacks who started — and won — games for the Jackrabbits in 2019. Redshirt freshman J’Bore Gibbs started six games before suffering a season-ending injury in late October, but earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team after passing for 10 touchdowns and averaging 191 yards of total offense per game.

True freshman Keaton Heide started the final five games of the season, including the team’s FCS playoff contest, and tallied a team-best 1,072 passing yards with seven touchdowns while completing 66.9 percent (85-of-127) of his passes.In addition, Kanin Nelson started two nonconference games in September en route to 293 passing yards and three touchdowns in 2019.

SDSU ranked second among MVFC teams with a passing efficiency rating of 154.4, compiling 21 touchdown passes against only seven interceptions. The Jackrabbits also stood fourth among league teams with an average of 195.7 passing yards per game.

In 2018, Lujan worked with a deep and talented group of running backs that contributed to a rushing attack that averaged 230.1 yards per game —which at the time was the highest total in the Division I era of Jackrabbit football (since 2004). Four different running backs rushed for at least 100 yards in a game that season, led by MVFC Freshman of the Year Pierre Strong, Jr. Strong gained 1,116 yards on only 117 carries — an average of 9.5 yards per attempt — and scored 11 touchdowns, becoming the first SDSU back to top 1,000 yards in a season since Zach Zenner in 2014.

As a team, SDSU averaged 6.4 yards per carry. Lujan began his transition from the playing field to the sidelines as SDSU’s offensive quality control during the 2017 season. He oversaw organization of the scout team defense, assisted with video breakdown and provided input from the coaching booth on gamedays.

A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Lujan played quarterback for the Jackrabbits from 2014-16, compiling a 10-5 record as the team’s starting quarterback. He was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team in 2014 and was elected a team captain for both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Lujan finished his career just outside the SDSU top 10 for career passing yards with 3,877, while adding 29 touchdowns through the air.

Lujan began his collegiate career at Chabot College in California, where he was named 2013 Golden Gate Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

A 2017 graduate with a degree in economics, Lujan was a two-time member of the MVFC Honor Roll and also was a recipient of the Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award.