Jordan Paopao - Football Coach - University of Washington Athletics

Rutgers

Oct 10 (Fri)

6:00 p.m. PT

Jordan Paopao

Title:
Tight Ends Coach

Jordan Paopao, a member of the Washington coaching staff for nine seasons under Steve Sarkisian and Chris Petersen, returns to Montlake as a member of head coach Jedd Fisch's first UW coaching staff. Paopao will serve as the UW's tight ends coach in 2025.

In his first season back on Montlake, the tight end room totaled 56 receptions for 618 yards and four touchdowns led by Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches, Keleki Latu.

Paopao worked under Fisch the for three seasons at Arizona, helping turn the Wildcats' program around, culminating with a 10-3 record and a win over Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl in 2023. Under Paopao's tutelage, U of A tight end Tanner McLachlan earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 after catching 45 passes for 528 yards, an increase in production over his already-successful 2022 season. Both of those totals were third-most on the team.

In 2022, he helped McLachlan produce one of the top performances in a single season by an Arizona tight end in program history to that point. McLaughlan's 33 receptions and 456 yards were both second-most in team history, trailing only Rob Gronkowski's 672 receiving yards in 2008.

During the 2021 campaign he oversaw a tight end group that enjoyed an expanded role in the Wildcats offense. Alex Lines and Bryce Wolma combined to haul in 16 receptions for 180 yards and one touchdown. Paopao also contributed to the Arizona special teams unit that produced first -team All-Pac-12 selections Kyle Ostendorp and Stanley Berryhill III. Ostendorp led the conference and set a program record with an average of 49.2 yards per punt, while Berryhill routinely impacted games as a punt team gunner and punt returner.

Paopao also played a key role in building Arizona's 2022 signing class that ranked second in the Pac-12 (22nd nationally) and included the first five-star signee in program history.

Paopao's tenure on Montlake began as a graduate assistant, working with the tight ends, during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He was promoted to a full-time assistant coach role prior to the 2013 season, began a seven-year run of success.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, a second-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, won the 2013 Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end, and left the program with nearly every season and career record for a tight end, which included career receptions, career yards, career touchdowns, single-season receptions and single-season yards.

Three Husky tight ends under Paopao's tutelage were drafted during Paopao's first stint in Seattle; Seferian-Jenkins (second round) in 2014, Will Dissly (fourth) in 2018 and Drew Sample (second) in 2019. The position group played a key part in UW leading the Pac-12 in total yards in 2016 and finishing second in 2018 and 2013. The Huskies also finished in the top three in the conference in points per game on three separate occasions during Paopao's tenure. He was a part of Washington staffs that won 78 games and a pair of Pac-12 championships, earned a College Football Playoff berth, and played in nine bowl games in nine years.

In 2020 and 2021, he served as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at UNLV.

Before coming to UW the first time, Paopao spent the 2010 season as running game coordinator and offensive line coach at Azusa Pacific after two seasons as recruiting assistant under Jim Harbaugh at Stanford.

After a standout prep career at El Camino High in Oceanside, Calif., Paopao played at University of San Diego under Jim Harbaugh. A three-time Mid-Major All-American and All-Pioneer selection for the Toreros at center, he graduated with a bachelor's degree from USD in 2008. Paopao is the son of former UCLA football standout Tony Paopao and nephew of CFL quarterback Joe Paopao. He and his wife, Kristin, have one son, Jordan Jr.

COACHING HISTORY

Washington
2024-present: Tight Ends & Special Teams Coordinator
2013-2019: Tight Ends
2011-2012: Graduate Assistant (Tight Ends)

Arizona
2022-23: Tight Ends & Special Teams Coordinator

UNLV
2020-21: Tight Ends

Azusa Pacific
2010: Run Game Coordinator, Recruiting Coordinator & Offensive Line

Stanford
2008-09: Recruiting Assistant