Steve Young says this NFL offensive coordinator ‘needs to be a future coach at BYU’

Last week, BYU and NFL legend Steve Young was in Idaho promoting his book “The Law of Love” when he made an appearance on a Boise radio show and dropped a little nugget about someone he’d like to be a BYU football coach someday.

An NFL analyst for more than 20 years before getting let go in 2023, Young was asked near the beginning of his nearly 35-minute appearance on the show about Kellen Moore, a Boise State quarterback legend who is the new offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles after previous stops in the same position with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers.

After talking about Moore’s new role in Philadelphia, Young said, “I’ll whisper it to you guys — he needs to be a future coach at BYU. We won’t worry about that right now.”

Who is Kellen Moore?

A Washington native, Moore played at Boise State from 2007-2011, where he became an All-American, led Boise State to a Fiesta Bowl win and became the first quarterback in FBS history to win 50 games in a career.

After an NFL career that saw him appear in three games over six years, Moore immediately became the Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach in 2019 and was quickly promoted to offensive coordinator, where he stayed until 2023.

Last season, Moore was the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers and now is in Philadelphia, where he replaced former Utah Utes quarterback and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson after a 2023 campaign that saw the Eagles start 10-1 before stumbling to an 11-6 record and lose in the first round of the playoffs (Johnson is now on the Washington Commanders’ staff).

Over his years as an offensive coordinator, the 36-year-old Moore has started to get some looks as a head coaching candidate in the NFL, although none have materialized yet.

“What’s your gut feeling? How do you think that’s gonna work?” Young was asked on the radio of Moore’s new job after the disastrous season at Philadelphia last year.

“I like Kellen for stepping into the fire,” Young said. “I like that style. I like what he’s doing. I think he’s always open to looking around for ... good ideas, things that he can take in.

“A lot of coaches are closed. It’s like, ‘I know my thing. I’m gonna teach my stuff and I don’t care what you’re doing.’ Kellen I feel’s open to best idea, and I appreciate him for that.”

Young added that, “I think that’s why he’s there, is to settle things down and see if they can get back to dominating in the NFC.”

Would Kellen Moore coach at BYU?

Why would Young specifically mention Moore as a coach he wants to see at BYU someday? In addition to Moore’s credentials, he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Deseret News reported earlier this year .

“He’s really well-respected across the league,” Eagles punt returner/receiver Britain Covey, a member of the church and former Ute, said then about Moore. “I feel like I’ll be able to learn a lot from him.”

The respect Moore has around the NFL would likely be the biggest hurdle present in swaying him to go to BYU at some point in the future. Would he leave the NFL for it?

Moore and the Eagles are off to a good start in the 2024 season, as they beat the Green Bay Packers 34-29 last week in their season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil .

Up next is a game against the Atlanta Falcons next Monday night.