University of Idaho Athletics

Tyler Paopao has joined the Vandal Football coaching staff as the wide receivers coach.

"I am grateful for the opportunity that coach Ford has given me to be a part of the Vandal family," Paopao said. "My family and I are extremely excited to be back home in the Northwest. I am excited for the chance to develop the young, talented group of receivers we have in the program."
 
Paopao comes to Idaho from Augustana (S.D.) where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Where he helped lead the Vikings to back-to-back NSIC titles.  In 2024, Augustana averaged 374 yards a game on offense and quarterback Gunnar Hensley passed for 2,515 yards and 18 touchdowns on the year. He was the second-leading passer in NSIC Conference.
 
In 2023, Paopao guided an offense that helped the Vikings earn an NSIC title while having seven All-NSIC honorees and two All-Americans on the offensive side of the ball. Casey Bauman led the NSIC and was 13th in the country in passing efficiency while throwing for 2,878 yards and 29 touchdowns, both ranking in the top 20 nationally. He also added 322 yards and five touchdowns on the ground before signing as a free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers. Also signing was Blake Larson, who joined the Rams after helping keep Bauman upright and leading the way for a 1,000-yard rusher and a team that ran for nearly 2,000 yards. 
 
Before Augustana, he was the receivers coach (2022) and tight ends coach (2018-2021) at the University of South Dakota. While at USD, Paopao's tight ends averaged nearly 45 catches, 500 yards and eight touchdowns in three full seasons. Brett Samson, a two-time all-Missouri Valley honoree, wrapped up a fantastic career in 2021 with a program-record 86 catches for 997 yards and 14 touchdowns. He helped lead the Coyotes back to the FCS playoffs for the second time, and South Dakota hosted a playoff game inside the DakotaDome for the first time in 35 years.
 
"I'm incredibly excited to bring Coach Paopao and his family to Moscow," Ford said. "He is another veteran coach that has play calling experience at the FCS level. Coach Pao is an incredibly smart football coach that cares about his players and has deep recruiting ties on the West Coast. He is a proven developer who will do a great job with our very talented and deep receivers corps."
 
Paopao served as offensive coordinator at Eastern Oregon University from 2012-17 and served as assistant head coach for three seasons. During his time in La Grande, Paopao led the Mountaineers to three winning seasons including eight wins in 2014 and to a national semifinal appearance in 2016 when Eastern Oregon finished 10-3. The Mountaineers' offense averaged 36.5 points in 2014 and 31.5 in 2016. Twice, the team averaged better than 210 yards per game on the ground.
 
Prior to Eastern Oregon, Paopao spent five seasons at Southeastern Louisiana University where he produced multiple all-conference performers while working with tight ends, running backs and receivers.
 
Paopao earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Occidental College where he was a two-time All-SCIAC quarterback (2001, 2002) and led the team to a conference title and an 8-1 record in 2001. He was drafted by the Ottawa Renegades of the Canadian Football League in 2002 and served as an assistant coach there in 2005. A year later, he served as offensive coordinator for the Lazio Marines in Italy. He earned a master's degree in kinesiology from Southeastern Louisiana in 2009.

Paopao and his wife, Jessica, have two sons, Mateo and Glover.