Troy football hires new skipper

Trojans tap Troy native for head coaching job

This Friday, the Troy Trojans’ will begin its fall season with a brand-new football coach at the reins.

Kody Hoffman, former Troy High School varsity Trojan and University of Montana Western Bulldog football player, will be coaching the Trojans this fall.

Hoffman said he feels good about the team he’s inherited, which he said has a combination of young newcomers and seniors who have been with the team for a long time.

“We have a lot of talent,” Hoffman said, remarking that the team’s biggest strength is leadership, while its biggest weakness is that the team is small and young. Hoffman feels that the team will overcome these weaknesses at game time this fall.

“Small and young doesn’t mean losing,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said that he is more of an offensive-minded coach, but said his two assistant coaches, his father, Scott Hoffman, and Greg Jonsen are stronger defensive coaches.

Hoffman, 23, has been a fan of Trojans football since he moved to Troy from Libby in the first grade, attending the games since then.

As the youngest in a family of four boys, each of his older brothers, Steven, Adam and Chris played high school football. Hoffman said that they were a big part of his love of football growing up. He looked up to his oldest brother, Steven, who was a senior when Hoffman was a seventh grader. Chris, who was one grade above Hoffman, played football with Hoffman since they were kids.

Hoffman played varsity linebacker as a freshman in high school. After freshman year, he also played tight-end and receiver.

After graduating from high school in 2011, Hoffman received a football scholarship from University of Montana Western in Dillon. He played football his freshman year, but tore his ACL and meniscus tendons and had to sit out the rest of the season.

Hoffman played his sophomore year, but he said the stress was too much on his knees and he had to stop playing.

He then student coached his junior and senior year at Montana Western, where he graduated from with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in health and fitness management.

Hoffman was working as a paraprofessional for Troy High School as well as a working as a councilor at Boulder Creek Academy, a therapeutic boarding school in Bonners Ferry. Between his two jobs, Hoffman said he was working 80 hours a week. He decided that the long hours were too much time spent away from his family and decided to apply for a position as an intervention coordinator at Troy High School. Hoffman works with students that are struggling with classes, tardies and academics.

Hoffman has been married for two years to Alicia Anderson, who he’s been with since high school. They have an almost three-month old boy, Kayden, who is the cutest thing ever Hoffman said.

When he’s not working, Hoffman enjoys hunting, fishing and being outside.

The first Troy High School football practice is scheduled for on 9 a.m. to noon, August 12 at Troy football field.

Reporter Bethany Rolfson may be reached at 293-4124 or by email at Reporter@TheWesternNews.com.