THE OHARA FILE

PERSONAL

Year in Coaching: 20th in 2026
Year at K-State: Sixth in 2026
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Education: Arizona, 2008 (Bachelor's in Molecular and Cellular Biology); Kansas State, 2015 (Master's in Academic Advising)
Wife: Laura
Children: Stanley Jr.

COACHING EXPERIENCE

2008: Arizona (Student Assistant Coach)
2009-10: Menlo College (Wide Receivers)
2011: K-State (Offensive Quality Control)
2012-14: K-State (Offensive Graduate Assistant)
2015-16: K-State (Offensive Quality Control/Assistant Director of Recruiting)
2017: Rutgers (Offensive Quality Control)
2018-20: UTEP (Wide Receivers)
2021-22: UTEP (Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
2023: UTEP (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers)
2024-25: Texas A&M (Offensive Quality Control/Assistant Wide Receivers)
2026: K-State (Assistant Running Backs)

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE

2008: Las Vegas Bowl (Arizona)
2012: Fiesta Bowl (K-State)
2013: Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (K-State)
2014: Alamo Bowl (K-State)
2015: Liberty Bowl (K-State)
2016: Texas Bowl (K-State)
2021: New Mexico Bowl (UTEP)
2024: Las Vegas Bowl (Texas A&M)
2025: College Football Playoff (Texas A&M)

A former five-year staffer at Kansas State who has worked for five different FBS programs over his 19 years, Scotty Ohara returns to Manhattan in 2026 and will serve as the program’s assistant running backs coach.

Ohara originally came to K-State to work as an offensive graduate assistant from 2012 through 2014 before spending the next two seasons as an assistant director of recruiting and offensive assistant. Beginning his career as an undergraduate assistant coach at Arizona, Ohara has also worked as an offensive assistant at Rutgers (2017), in various roles – including offensive coordinator during his final year – at UTEP (2018-23) and as an offensive quality control coach at Texas A&M (2024-25).

During his two seasons in College Station, Ohara helped Texas A&M to a combined 19-7 record, which culminated with 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.

In his first season at Texas A&M in 2024, Ohara 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.

Ohara spent the previous six years at UTEP working with the wide receivers while also being named the passing game coordinator in 2021 and offensive coordinator in 2023.

During his final season in El Paso, Ohara oversaw Kelly Akharaiyi earning All-Conference USA First Team honors after producing 1,033 yards and seven touchdowns. It was the third-straight season that UTEP had a 1,000-yard receiver after not producing consecutive seasons with Miners hitting that mark in program history.

In 2022, Ohara guided Tyrin Smith to a season with 1,039 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as he was one of only three Conference USA receivers to hit the 1,000-yard mark. Smith ranked fourth in Conference USA with 71 catches in 2022, which ranked third in program history at the time. Ohara coached Smith to four 100-yard receiving games as he earned All-Conference USA Honorable Mention accolades.

Ohara mentored Jacob Cowing to the tune of 1,354 yards in 2021 – which ranked second in program history – en route to All-Conference USA First Team honors. The first Miner since 2010 to record 1,000 receiving yards, Cowing had eight 100-yard games, which was the most by a UTEP player since 1965, while he added seven receiving scores and a rushing touchdown on the season.

The 2021 season was a continuation of Ohara’s guidance of Cowing, who emerged as one of the top receivers in Conference USA over his career. In 2019, Cowing led all Conference USA freshmen with 550 receiving yards as he earned a spot on the Freshman All-Conference USA team. In just eight games during the 2020 season, Cowing racked up 41 catches for 691 yards as he ranked second in the conference in receiving yards per game (86.4) as he earned All-Conference USA Second Team honors.

Ohara also guided Justin Garrett to All-Conference USA Honorable Mention accolades in 2020 after recording 38 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns.

Ohara spent the 2017 season at Rutgers as an offensive quality control assistant, working primarily with the quarterbacks. The rebuilding Scarlet Knights’ season included three conference wins, the most since Rutgers joined the Big 10 Conference.

During his first stint in Manhattan from 2011 through 2016, Ohara helped the Wildcats produce a combined 53-25 record with six bowl appearances and a 2012 Big 12 Championship. He worked with the K-State running backs and tight ends in 2015 and 2016, while he was a graduate assistant from 2012 through 2014.

Ohara joined K-State from Menlo College in Atherton, California, where he was the wide receivers coach for two years (2009-10).

Ohara spent three years as a volunteer student assistant at Arizona. He was a three-year student manager before serving as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2007 season. That year, he spent game day in the press box to chart offensive notes, while in 2008 he assisted with the running backs and tight ends.

A native of San Jose, California, Ohara prepped at Pioneer High School before playing one year in college at Chapman University in Orange, California. He graduated from Arizona in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology. He received his master’s degree in academic advising from Kansas State in 2015. He and his wife, Laura, have one son, Stanley Jr.