Jeremy Pernell’s Top Candidates for Offensive Coordinator at Nebraska: Landon Keopple - Texas State

He could help a Husker offense that needs to get more creative in manufacturing advantages.

Landon Keopple during his time at Hawaii. | Hawaii Athletics

This profile is part of a series by Jeremy Pernell, who has identified several potential candidates to fill Nebraska’s vacancy at offensive coordinator after head coach Matt Rhule’s firing of Dana Holgorsen. | Prev. • Intro • Next


Landon Keopple might be one of the more overlooked offensive coordinators in the country, primarily because his recent success has come while working alongside GJ Kinne, and his contributions have been overshadowed.

But his background goes considerably deeper than that relationship.

Keopple spent nine seasons, from 2011 through 2019, coordinating the offense at Division II Southern Arkansas. He subsequently joined Kinne at Hawaii, followed him to Incarnate Word and eventually Texas State.

He spent his first two seasons with the Bobcats in supporting roles before being promoted to offensive coordinator in January 2025 after Mack Leftwich left to join Joey McGuire's staff at Texas Tech.

Keopple now handles the play-calling duties within an offensive system Kinne primarily built, while he has taken on larger responsibilities and provided significant input to helping it evolve.

Texas State ranked fifth nationally in total offense in 2025, averaging 472.8 yards per game, and 12th in scoring at 36.5 points. The Bobcats also ranked 10th in rushing at 222.1 yards per contest.

This season, they've been even better.

Texas State, now competing in the Pac-12, ranks fourth nationally in total offense at 517 yards per game and 11th in scoring at 38.6 points.

The numbers that should really interest Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule are in the running game. The Bobcats rank fifth nationally at 265.8 rushing yards per game while averaging another 251.2 through the air, ranking 37th.

Keopple's offense shares characteristics with the veer-and-shoot approach, using wide receiver alignments to stretch coverage and create advantageous running opportunities.

One of his coaching trademarks is using pre-snap motion to manipulate defensive alignments. By moving players around, the offense can force defenders to reveal coverage responsibilities, change the number of players near the line of scrimmage and create favorable matchups without necessarily changing the underlying play.

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That's an attractive concept for a Nebraska offense that needs to become more creative about manufacturing advantages.

Keopple has also demonstrated an ability to develop quarterbacks.

At Southern Arkansas, he worked with Tyler Sykora, who earned multiple all-conference honors, and Barrett Renner, who was named the Great American Conference Freshman of the Year in 2015.

His 2014 offense averaged 505.4 yards per game, ranking 10th in Division II.

At Texas State last season, quarterback Brad Jackson earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors while establishing school records for completion percentage and passing efficiency. Receiver Beau Sparks was a first-team all-conference selection after catching 84 passes for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Brad Jackson set school records at quarterback last season for Texas State. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Keopple's work with quarterbacks and offensive personnel predates his relationship with Kinne, which is important when evaluating how much of the system he could incorporate into his own vision.

I'd want to know how much freedom he has to modify the offense, which concepts he considers his own and how he'd approach the different defensive fronts he'd encounter in the Big Ten.

Nebraska would represent a much larger stage, substantial resources and the chance to establish himself at the Power Four level.

For someone with his combination of experience, recent production and ascending reputation, he's worth looking into.

For someone with his combination of experience, recent production and ascending reputation, he's worth looking into.

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