Eric Kjar, the coach who built Corner Canyon into a six-time state champion, opens his Division I career Saturday, Aug. 29, when Weber State visits Northern Colorado at 7 p.m.

Standing beside him on the Wildcats' sideline will be a familiar face: senior quarterback Devin Brown, who played for Kjar at Corner Canyon in 2021 before stops at Ohio State and Cal. Brown's teammates voted him team captain before he played a single down in a Weber State uniform.

"What is there not to like? We get to sling the ball all over the place, good energy, high pace, really a lot of talent around us," Brown told ABC4 on Monday.

Kjar will call his own plays this fall, installing the up-tempo attack that defined his Corner Canyon offenses. In nine seasons leading the Chargers, he went 112-10, won six state titles (2018–20, 2023–25) and guided the program to a Utah-record 48 consecutive victories from 2018 to 2021. His overall high school record across 17 years, including time at Jordan High School, was 181-39.

The jump from prep powerhouse to FCS program is uncommon. Canyons School District Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins noted at the Dec. 16, 2025, board meeting that it is rare for a high school coach to move directly to a Division I head coaching position.

Kjar said the transition comes down to confidence. "I think a lot of it is just believing in yourself and knowing what you do, not worrying about what anybody else has ever done that's been given this opportunity," he told ABC4.

Brown sounds like a player who has found his landing spot after years as a backup in the Big Ten and Pac-12. He told ABC4 he loves Utah, loves Kjar and feels like he's back in high school with his old teammates. Kjar said Brown has been fun to coach again, noting the same sense of humor he remembered from their Corner Canyon days.

Weber State was picked ninth in the Big Sky coaches poll and 10th in the conference media poll, according to preseason voting. Northern Colorado sits just behind at 10th and 11th, respectively, making Saturday's opener a matchup between two programs looking to climb.

Back in Draper, the program Kjar built keeps rolling. New head coach Casey Sutera, Kjar's former defensive coordinator, has Corner Canyon ranked No. 1 in Class 6A entering the season. "We know we have a high expectation because of the standard coach Kjar has created at Corner Canyon," Sutera said in July in the Deseret News preseason rankings.

After the Northern Colorado opener, Weber State travels to Colorado on Saturday, Sept. 12, for an FBS test against the Buffaloes.