Wake Forest Athletics
Dickert Names Jared Kaster to Coach Offensive Line at Wake Forest
1/3/2025 2:02:00 PM | Football
Coach Kaster comes to Winston-Salem having spent the past season with Head Coach Jake Dickert at Washington State in the same role.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest head football coach Jake Dickert announced Friday that Jared Kaster has been added to his coaching staff as an Assistant Coach, Offensive Line.
"Jared Kaster is a tremendous offensive line coach, and I'm thrilled to have him join our staff at Wake Forest," Coach Dickert said. "Having worked together this past season at Washington State, I've seen firsthand his ability to develop players and instill a winning mentality in the trenches. Jared's passion for the game, combined with his track record of success, makes him a perfect fit for our program as we build something special here in Winston-Salem."
"I'm incredibly grateful to Coach Dickert and the Wake Forest family for this opportunity," Coach Kaster said. "Having worked closely with Coach Dickert, I've developed a deep respect for his leadership and vision for building a championship-caliber program. I'm excited to bring my passion for coaching and player development to Wake Forest and look forward to contributing to the success of this outstanding team and community."
In 2024, Washington State jumped out to a historic start, winning eight of its first nine games of the season and climbing inside of the top 20 in the AP Poll. It marked the first time since 2018 that the Cougars started a season 8-1 or better and the lone loss during that stretch came to College Football Playoff qualifier Boise State on the road.
Kaster and Washington State claimed multiple non-conference wins over Power-4 conference teams, defeating Texas Tech and Washington in consecutive weeks. The Cougars entered bowl season with the No. 11 scoring offense in the country in 2024 with 36.8 points per game.
Kaster spent the 2023 season at Austin Peay, serving as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Following the 2023 campaign, Kaster briefly served as the offensive line coach at UTEP, before joining Coach Dickert's staff.
During the 2023 season, Kaster helped the Governors to their second-straight conference title, and first in the United Athletic Conference. He helped guide an offense averaged 34.1 points per game, ninth in the FCS and first in the UAC, while its 427 yards per game of total offense ranked second in the conference. Austin Peay's passing efficiency (162.2) ranked third in the country and first in the conference.
During his one season at Austin Peay, the Governors produced six all-conference players on offense, including three offensive linemen: center Jalen Armstrong, right guard/center Chandler Kirton and left tackle Isaiah Wright.
Kaster arrived at Austin Peay after spending five seasons (2018-22) at Houston Christian. During the 2021 season, Kaster mentored Christian Hood in becoming the first offensive lineman in program history to earn First Team All-Southland honors. During the 2019 slate, Kaster's offensive line helped the Huskies rack up 462.6 yards of total offense per game, ranking 12th in the FCS and second in the Southland Conference.
Prior to joining the HCU staff, Kaster was the offensive line assistant and offensive quality control for head coach Kliff Kingsbury at his alma mater, Texas Tech, in 2016 and 2017. He played four seasons for the Red Raiders from 2012-2015, where he was voted one of five team captains in 2015 and earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention three times at center. He started 37-straight games to finish his career and in 2015, helped pave the way for Texas Tech's first 1,000 yard rusher since 1998. He earned a bachelor's degree in university studies in 2015.
An Altair, Texas, native, Kaster played at Altair Rice High School, where he was ranked the No. 5 center prospect in the nation by Rival.com, No. 8 by ESPN.com and was a Class 2A All-State selection in 2010.
Kaster and his wife, Caitlyn, have one daughter, Sadie.
Washington State (2024)
In 2024, Washington State jumped out to a historic start, winning eight of its first nine games of the season and climbing inside of the top 20 in the AP Poll. It marked the first time since 2018 that the Cougars started a season 8-1 or better and the lone loss during that stretch came to College Football Playoff qualifier Boise State on the road.
Kaster and Washington State claimed multiple non-conference wins over Power-4 conference teams, defeating Texas Tech and Washington in consecutive weeks. The Cougars entered bowl season with the No. 11 scoring offense in the country in 2024 with 36.8 points per game.
Austin Peay (2023)
During the 2023 season, Kaster helped the Governors to their second-straight conference title, and first in the United Athletic Conference. He helped guide an offense averaged 34.1 points per game, ninth in the FCS and first in the UAC, while its 427 yards per game of total offense ranked second in the conference. Austin Peay's passing efficiency (162.2) ranked third in the country and first in the conference. The Governors produced six all-conference players on offense, including three offensive linemen: center Jalen Armstrong, right guard/center Chandler Kirton and left tackle Isaiah Wright.
Houston Christian (2018-22)
Kaster's game plan and offensive line helped running back Ismali Mahdi rush for over 250 yards in the Huskies first two games of the 2022 season. The Huskies ranked 21st in the FCS in red zone offense during the 2021 season including six rushing touchdowns from inside the red zone. During the 2021 season, Kaster mentored Christian Hood in becoming the first offensive lineman in program history to earn First Team All-Southland honors., Kaster's offensive line paved the way for the Huskies to average 547.5 yards of total offense per game during HCU's four-game spring schedule in 2020. In 2019, Kaster's offensive line helped the Huskies rack up 462.6 yards of total offense per game, ranking 12th in the FCS and second in the Southland Conference. In Kaster's first season at Houston Christian, the Huskies rushed for 124.5 yards per game and 10 touchdowns. Led by Kaster's offensive line, the Huskies ranked 23rd in the FCS in passing offense.
Texas Tech (2016-17)
Kaster spent two years on Kliff Kingsbury's staff as an offensive quality control coach working with the Red Raiders offensive line, where he helped Baylen Brown (2016) and Madison Akamnonu, Travis Bruffy, and Paul Stawarz (2017) all earn All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
As a player:
Kaster played four seasons at Texas Tech from 2012-2015, where he was voted one of five team captains in 2015 and earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention three times at center. He started 37-straight games to finish his career and in 2015, helped pave the way for Texas Tech's first 1,000 yard rusher since 1998.
Family:
Kaster and his wife, Caitlyn, have one daughter, Sadie.
Postseason History
| Season | Bowl Game | Opponent | Result |
| 2024 | Holiday Bowl (Washington State) | Syracuse | L, 35-52 |
| 2023 | NCAA FCS Playoffs First Round | Chattanooga | L, 21-24 |
| 2017 | Birmingham Bowl (Texas Tech) | South Florida | L, 34-38 |
Coaching History
| Seasons | School/Team | Title/Position Coached |
| 2025-Present | Wake Forest | Offensive Line |
| 2024 | Washington State | Offensive Line |
| 2023 | Austin Peay | Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line |
| 2018-22 | Houston Christian | Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line |
| 2016-17 | Texas Tech | Offensive Line Assistant/Offensive Quality Control |
NFL Players (Round Drafted)
- QB Bailey Zappe (4th) - Houston Christian '19 - New England Patriots
- OL Le'Raven Clark (3rd) - Texas Tech '16 - Indianapolis Colts
- Hometown: Altair, Texas
- Education: 2015 - Bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University
- Wife: Caitlyn
- Children: Sadie
