Wichita State Shockers Tab Kirby Moore as New Football Coach in Rebuild

Wichita State Athletics announced the hiring of Kirby Moore as the 36th full-time head coach of the Shockers football program, sources confirmed to local outlets. The move comes after a frustrating 3-9 campaign that left fans in Wichita clamoring for change in the program's long rebuild efforts. Moore, with prior Division I experience, was reportedly secured just a week after Washington State was blindsided by its own coaching shakeup.

The Shockers, competing in the American Athletic Conference, have struggled to regain footing since discontinuing football in 1986 before its 2018 revival under multiple coaches. Wichita, Kansas' hub with over 400,000 metro residents, sees this hire as pivotal for campus spirit and local recruiting from high schools like Wichita Northwest and East. Moore's first team meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 15, with live coverage planned, accelerating preparations for the 2026 season.

Moore's background includes stints at Power 4 programs, positioning him to inject fresh tactics into a squad that posted defensive woes and inconsistent offense last year. While WSU recently onboarded coaches like Paul Mills for men's basketball and Brian Green for baseball, the football hire addresses a key gap in athletic momentum. Shocker supporters, from Cessna Stadium faithful to alumni statewide, view Moore as the catalyst for competing with AAC powers like Tulsa and Tulane.