Mark Cala was hired in January 2025 and comes to UTEP from TCU, where he served as the Horned Frogs’ quarterbacks coach for two seasons (2023-2024).
Cala played collegiately at Puget Sound and began his coaching career there in 2015. Before TCU, Cala was the offensive analyst/assistant quarterbacks coach at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, an offensive graduate assistant at Florida State in 2019, an offensive graduate assistant (quarterbacks) at Houston in 2018, an offensive analyst (quarterbacks) in 2017, and offensive quality control (running backs/special teams assistant in 2016 at Florida Atlantic, and a quarterbacks coach at Puget Sound during the 2015 season.
The Albuquerque, N.M., native returns to the southwest after helping La Cueva High School win a state title in 2009. Cala began his collegiate career as a defensive back at New Mexico before transferring to Puget Sound.
TCU ranked seventh nationally in passing yards per game in 2023 and 2024 while ranking 11th in total offense during the 2023 campaign. The Horned Frogs ranked 23rd in red zone offense in 2024 and 14th in third-down offense in 2023. The TCU QBs combined for 60 total touchdowns during Cala’s two seasons.
While at Arkansas, the quarterbacks tallied 85 total touchdowns and only 14 interceptions in three seasons. Cala’s efforts in 2019 helped elevate an offense that ranked 111th to 28th in total offense in 2021 and 16th in 2022. The Razorbacks ranked seventh in rushing yards per game in 2021 and 2022.
Cala received his Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Puget Sound in 2015.
CALA'S COACHING CAREER
2023-24 – TCU (quarterbacks)
2020-22 – Arkansas (offensive analyst/assistant quarterbacks)
2019 – Florida State (offensive graduate assistant - quarterbacks)
2018 – Houston (offensive graduate assistant - quarterbacks)
2017 – Florida Atlantic (offensive analyst - quarterbacks)
2015-16 – Puget Sound (quarterbacks)
