THE BUFORD FILE

PERSONAL

Year in Coaching: 21st in 2026
Year at K-State: Third in 2026
Hometown: Alma, Missouri
Education: Baker, 2006 (Bachelor's in Physical Education and Secondary Education); Baker, 2007 (Master's in Educational Leadership)
Wife: Kelsey
Children: Everly, Brooks

COACHING EXPERIENCE

2006-07: Baker (Graduate Assistant/Wide Receivers)
2008-10: Excelsior Springs High School (Wide Receivers/JV Head Coach)
2011-12: William Jewell College (Wide Receivers/Pass Game Coordinator)
2013-15: Excelsior Springs High School (Head Coach)
2016-20: Park Hill High School (Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach)
2021: Hawai'i (Defensive Quality Control)
2022-23: K-State (Offensive Analyst)
2024-25: Texas A&M (Assistant Quarterbacks)
2026: K-State (Inside Receivers)

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE

2021: Hawai'i Bowl (Hawai'i)
2022: Sugar Bowl (K-State)
2023: Pop-Tarts Bowl (K-State)
2024: Las Vegas Bowl (Texas A&M)
2025: College Football Playoff (Texas A&M)

A former high school coach in the Kansas City Metro area with ties to colleges within the region, Josh Buford enters his third season overall at K-State in 2026 and first as the program’s inside receivers coach.

Buford is entering his second tenure at K-State having served as an offensive analyst in 2022 and 2023. He spent the previous two seasons at Texas A&M as assistant quarterbacks coach where he helped the Aggies to an 11-2 record and a berth into the College Football Playoff in 2025. This past season, the Aggies ranked in the top 35 nationally in scoring offense (20th; 33.8 points per game), total offense (23rd; 444.5 yards per game), rushing offense (34th; 184.7 yards per game), passing offense (32nd; 259.8 yards per game), tackles for loss allowed (3rd; 3.31 per game), fourth down percentage (9th; 70.6%), sacks allowed (33rd; 1.46 per game), passing yards per completion (14th; 13.62), time of possession (16th; 32:30) and first downs (26th; 293). Additionally, Texas A&M hit the 400-yard mark in total offense 10 times in 2025.

He helped quarterback Marcel Reed to top-15 individual marks this season in passing yards per completion (13th; 13.54), points responsible for (17th; 186) and passing touchdowns (17th; 25).

In his first season at Texas A&M in 2024, Buford helped the Aggies earn a 5-0 start in SEC play – their best start in SEC action and their best conference start since 1998 – while Texas A&M boasted the No. 2 rushing offense in the SEC.

With Buford on K-State’s staff in 2022 and 2023, the Wildcats earned a combined 19-8 record, which included a Big 12 Championship in 2022 and a pair of bowl berths. The 2022 Wildcat offense ranked in the top 10 in 11 school categories, while they scored 32.3 points per game to stand as the most by K-State since 2017. Additionally, the Wildcats ranked 15th in the country in rushing yards per game (208.3) – their highest national ranking since placing ninth in 2003 – while they totaled 210.5 passing yards per game and 421.6 total yards per game, their most since 2014.

The next season, K-State ranked 11th nationally in rushing offense (208.3 yards per game), first downs (23.8 per game) and third down conversions (47.9%), while the Wildcats were 14th in the country turnovers lost (12) and 21st in time of possession (31:52).

Buford came to Manhattan after serving as a defensive quality control coach and defensive recruiting coordinator at the University of Hawai’i during the 2021 season. While at Manoa, Buford helped with a Warrior defense that finished second in the FBS in takeaways and third in defensive touchdowns.

Prior to Hawai’i, Buford was the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Park Hill High School in Kansas City from 2016 to 2020, while he was the head coach at Excelsior Springs High School from 2013 to 2015, helping the Tigers win their first playoff game in 20 years. During his time at Excelsior Springs, Buford coached Sam Webb, who has spent four seasons in the NFL. Buford was previously the wide receivers coach at Excelsior Springs from 2008 to 2010. During his time as a high school coach, Buford worked at Spin It Quarterback Academy with Justin Hoover.

Over a five-year period as the play caller at Park Hill, Buford’s offenses scored over 1,300 points, including a 34-point average during a 10-3 season in 2017. While coaching the Trojans, Buford aided in the development of both Jaylin Noel, who played at Iowa State and is a rookie for the Houston Texans, and Ronnie Bell, the 2017 Simone Award winner as the top high school player in the Kansas City metro area who went on to play at Michigan and has spent the last three seasons in the NFL. Additionally, in September 2017, Park Hill tied a national record for passing touchdowns in a half (8) and passing touchdowns in a game (9).

Buford’s first full-time role in college football came in 2011 and 2012 when he was the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. He got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant helping out with the wide receivers at his alma mater, Baker University, from 2006 to 2007.

A four-year member of the football team, Buford was also a three-year member of the Baker player’s council. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education and secondary education from Baker in 2006, while he also obtained a master’s in educational leadership from the university in 2007. Additionally, Buford earned a specialist degree in education leadership in 2018 from Arkansas State.

Buford, a native of Alma, Missouri, prepped at Santa Fe High School where he was a four-year letterwinner in football, basketball and track, helping the Chiefs earn a state championship in 2000.

Buford and his wife, Kelsey, have a daughter, Everly, and a son, Brooks.