Kellen Moore: The Winningest Quarterback in College Football History
Kellen Christopher Moore, born on July 5, 1988, is an American professional football coach and former quarterback. Currently, he serves as the head coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL), a position he assumed on February 11, 2025, becoming the 19th head coach in the franchise's history. Before transitioning to coaching, Moore left an indelible mark on college football as the quarterback for the Boise State Broncos. He set the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) record for quarterback wins, a testament to his leadership and skill on the field. After retiring as a player, Moore began a coaching career. He served as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, winning Super Bowl LIX.
Early Life and High School Career
Kellen Christopher Moore was born in Prosser, Washington. Football was a significant part of his life from a young age. His father, Tom Moore, was the head coach at Prosser High School from 1986 to 2008, achieving remarkable success with 21 league titles and four state championships. During football season, Kellen and his younger brother Kirby, who later played as a wide receiver at Boise State, would go to their father’s football practice after elementary school. Kellen often carried a notepad with him, demonstrating his early interest in the game. According to his mother, Moore "grew fast, and then he didn't grow again," reaching his adult height of 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) as a high school sophomore. Despite his lack of height, Moore excelled at Prosser High.
Moore's high school career was filled with accolades. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington. He lettered in football and basketball three times each and was named Velocity/Prep Star All-American and First-team All-state and Division 2A MVP by the Seattle Times. He earned league player of the year honors and First-team All-league recognition as a sophomore, junior, and senior. Moore finished his career completing 787 of 1,195 passes (.659) for 11,367 yards and 173 touchdowns with 34 interceptions. As a senior in 2006, he led Prosser to a 12-1 record and a spot in the state semifinals, where his team lost to the Centralia Tigers, and Moore threw two interceptions. As a junior, he completed 317 of 479 passes (66.2 percent) for 4,600 yards and 66 touchdowns with 15 interceptions.
College Career at Boise State
Moore's college career at Boise State was nothing short of legendary. His teammates at Boise State included his younger brother Kirby and childhood friend Cory Yriarte, a center for the Broncos. As a redshirt freshman in 2008, Moore led the Broncos to an undefeated regular season and the WAC championship while throwing 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 12 games. In the final game of 2008, Boise State lost to Texas Christian University (TCU) in the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl, the first of two consecutive bowl meetings for the non-Automatic Qualifying rivals. He was named WAC Freshman of the Year and Second-team All-conference after a spectacular first season, guiding Boise State to 12-1 record and was named Boise State's Most Valuable Offensive Player by vote of teammates. He ranked 12th in nation in passing efficiency and 24th in total offense, averaging 265.85 yards per game and was first in WAC in passing efficiency (157.1) and second in total offense (265.8) and average passing yards per game (268.2).
2009 Season
Moore continued to excel in his sophomore year. Moore threw for a school record 39 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions to lead the Broncos to a 14-0 record, another WAC title, and an at large bid to the Fiesta Bowl vs. undefeated #4 ranked TCU. He finished the 2009 regular season with the highest passer efficiency rating in Division I-A with a rating of 167.3. Moore started against widely favored TCU in the Fiesta Bowl and played the entire game. He had no interceptions, fumbles, or muffed snaps. He was named First-team All-American by CBSSportsline.com, a subsidiary of CBS Sports. The 2009 Fiesta Bowl was highly controversial due to the decision to pit the two non-Automatic Qualifying schools against each other instead of having them face Automatic Qualifying teams. The BCS was criticized for the perception that the risk of both, or either, team defeating a "power conference" team was too great, and that the BCS had TCU and BSU face each other so that the damage of their participation would be minimized. That season, he led the No. 6-ranked Broncos over Andy Dalton and No. 3 TCU in a 17-10 triumph in the Fiesta Bowl.
Read also: Boise State's Quarterback Legend
2010 Season
In 2010, Moore led the Broncos to a 33-30 victory over Virginia Tech on September 6. The game was highly anticipated and received a 6.8 TV rating, nearly twice that of the next most watched game. Moore contributed 3 passing touchdowns in the game with a final game-winning strike to Austin Pettis with 1:14 remaining in the game. As a result of the victory, Boise State received 8 first place votes in the week 2 AP Poll, and it moved up to third in the Coaches' Poll. Moore was also mentioned by major sports media as a top candidate for the 2010 Heisman Trophy. After finishing the season with 3,506 yards, 33 touchdowns, and five interceptions, Moore was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and was invited to the ceremony in New York City to become the first ever Boise State player to be a Heisman finalist. Moore finished fourth in Heisman voting. Moore was also a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, the Maxwell Award, and the Manning Award (all won by Cam Newton).
2011 Season
On March 28, 2011, the Sporting News named Moore as the #1 player in their annual list of the top 25 players in the nation. He was ranked ahead of Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Oregon running back LaMichael James who both finished ahead of Moore in the 2010 Heisman voting. He only needed 8 wins during the 2011 season to pass Colt McCoy for most wins by a quarterback in NCAA history. He threw his 100th touchdown pass against Georgia during week one. With the Broncos defeat of Air Force on October 22, he tied former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy for the career wins record with 45 wins. On November 5, the Broncos defeated UNLV and Moore broke the record to become the FBS leader in career wins for a starting quarterback at 46. In 2011, Moore’s last year in college and Boise State’s first year in the Mountain West, the quarterback threw for a career-best 3,800 yards and 43 touchdowns on a 74% completion percentage with nine interceptions.
Moore finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting. He became the 15th player in Heisman Trophy voting history to finish in the top ten three times. He was one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award along with Andrew Luck and Trent Richardson (won by Luck). For the second year in a row, he was named the Touchdown Club of Columbus Quarterback of the Year and it was announced that beginning in 2012 the award will be known as the Kellen Moore Award.
College Statistics and Records
During his time at Boise State (2008-2011), Moore achieved remarkable statistics and broke numerous records. He is Boise State’s all-time passing leader with 14,667 yards. Moore is the winningest quarterback in college football history with 50 wins from 2008-11. As a freshman, He threw for 3,486 yards and 25 touchdowns with 10 interceptions on a 69% completion rate in 2008 while competing in the WAC. As a junior, Moore completed 71% of his passes for 3,845 yards, 35 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Boise State went 12-1 that year, with its only loss being against Nevada.
Professional Career
Despite his success in college, many analysts doubted Moore's professional potential, especially his relatively small stature at, according to his Boise State Pro Day, slightly shorter than 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), as well as doubts about arm strength and mobility.
Read also: More on Shakeel Moore
Detroit Lions
On April 28, 2012, Kellen Moore signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. On February 21, 2014, it was announced the Lions would not place a restricted free agent tender offer on Moore, allowing him to explore other NFL options. On March 6, 2015, The Lions resigned Moore to a two-year deal. On September 5, 2015, Moore was released by the Lions.
Dallas Cowboys
On September 6, 2015, Moore was signed to the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, reuniting with former Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. After Tony Romo first fractured his left collarbone, he was promoted to the active roster to serve as Brandon Weeden's backup on September 23. Moore was the team's backup for two games, until the Cowboys acquired quarterback Matt Cassel. On December 19, Moore played in his first career regular season game against the New York Jets, replacing an ineffective Cassel. The loss against the Jets officially eliminated the Cowboys from playoff contention, which led the organization to decide to use the last two regular season games to audition Moore. In his first start against the Buffalo Bills, he threw three interceptions. Despite the interceptions, Moore also showcased his potential, throwing for 435 yards in a loss.
On August 3, 2016, Moore broke his right fibula during practice, sidelining him for a significant period. The Cowboys addressed their backup quarterback depth by re-signing Moore on March 20, 2017. However, he was released on September 2, 2017, before being re-signed on September 5, 2017. Ultimately, Moore was released again on October 26, 2017.
Coaching Career
Dallas Cowboys (2018-2022)
Moore's coaching career began with the Dallas Cowboys. In 2018, he became the Cowboys' quarterbacks coach. On January 31, 2019, he was named the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Under his guidance, the Cowboys' offense showed promise. However, the team's overall performance did not meet expectations, and Jason Garrett was fired as Cowboys coach. Despite the coaching change, Mike McCarthy was open to keeping Kellen Moore.
Los Angeles Chargers (2023)
In 2023, Moore served as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the Chargers' season was marked by inconsistency, and Moore's tenure was short-lived.
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Philadelphia Eagles (2024)
In 2024, Moore joined the Philadelphia Eagles as their offensive coordinator and won Super Bowl LIX.
New Orleans Saints (2025-Present)
On February 11, 2025, the New Orleans Saints named Kellen Moore as their head coach.
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