Joel Filani begins his first season on Jake Dickert’s staff after being named the wide receivers coach on Jan. 3, 2022.
Filani, who spent the 2015 in an offensive quality control position for the Cougars, returns to Pullman having spent the past three seasons as the outside receivers coach at his alma mater, Texas Tech.
Filani’s work was evident through his three seasons in Lubbock as he helped develop Ezukanma into an All-Big 12 first team wide receiver in 2020, a second-team selection in 2021 and a spot on the 2021 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. Ezukanma became the first Red Raider wide receiver to garner first team All-Big 12 accolades by the conference coaches since Red Raider great Michael Crabtree did so in 2008.
In his three seasons under Filani, Ezukanma has combined for 136 catches for 2,118 yards and 14 touchdowns, all while becoming the first Red Raider to lead the team in receiving yards in consecutive years since Jakeem Grant in 2014-15 and the first underclassman to do so since Crabtree in 2007-08.
RJ Turner also developed into one of Tech’s top targets during Filani’s first season in 2019 as he led the team with 45 receptions en route to being named an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection. Turner, who arrived at Tech as a graduate assistant from Louisiana-Monroe, led the team with three different games of at least 100 receiving yards with all three coming during conference play.
Filani joined Matt Wells’ charter staff prior to the 2019 season, returning to his alma mater where he was a two-time All-Big 12 first team selection and remains one of the top wide receivers in school history. Filani recorded 2,667 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns through the air during his career from 2003-06, both of which still rank among the top career leaders in school history.
Filani’s best season came as a senior in 2006 when he caught 91 passes for 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns, ranking in the single-season top 10 for all three categories. Filani, who still ranks fifth to this date in single-season receiving yards, remains as one of only three Red Raider wide receivers to earn All-Big 12 first team accolades twice in a career, joining Crabtree (2007-08) and his former teammate Jarrett Hicks (2004-05).
Filani wrapped his Red Raider career with a memorable performance in the 2006 Insight Bowl as he caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in a 44-41 overtime victory over Minnesota. He snapped the then Tech bowl records for both receptions and receiving yards that night on his way to helping lead the Red Raiders to the largest come-from-behind bowl victory in NCAA history.
His success in Tech’s wide-open passing attack drew the attention of the Tennessee Titans, who selected Filani that next spring in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Filani enjoyed a three-year NFL career with stops with the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the Titans. He concluded his professional career as a member of the Arena League’s Chicago Rush in 2011.
Filani began his coaching career shortly after, accepting a graduate assistant position at Boise State from 2013-14 before moving to Washington State for the 2015 campaign. Washington State led the FBS in passing offense during his one season on staff, working as an offensive quality control assistant.
Filani departed the Washington State staff in 2016 to accept his first full-time coaching position at North Texas where he was part of a Mean Green program that won 23 games during his three seasons. In comparison, North Texas combined for only 23 victories in the five seasons prior to Filani’s arrival and had not reached a bowl game since 2013.
North Texas boasted one of the nation’s top passing attacks during Filani’s tenure thanks in part to the play of Rico Bussey Jr., who shined at outside receiver in 2018. Bussey was among the top receivers in the country that season after hauling in 68 passes for 1,017 yards and 12 touchdowns. He closed the season as the Conference USA leader in receiving touchdowns and also ranked tied for eighth nationally in the category and 26th in receiving yards per game (84.8).
After three seasons under Filani, Bussey, who was an All-Conference USA first team honoree in 2018, was already fifth in program history with 20 career receiving touchdowns and eight career 100-yard games. His 12 receiving touchdowns from 2018 alone ranked tied for second in North Texas history. He eventually closed his career in 2019 ranked tied for fourth with 21 touchdown receptions and nine with 1,941 career yards, the bulk of which came under Filani’s tutelage.
Filani also tutored Jalen Guyton to Conference USA Co-Newcomer of the Year and second team all-conference accolades in 2017 after the junior-college transfer finished with 49 catches for 775 yards and a team-leading nine touchdowns during his debut season. He joined Bussey as one of three North Texas receivers to land on the Biletnikoff Award watch list prior to the 2018 season.
Filani, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, received his bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas Tech in 2006 and his master’s degree in educational leadership from Boise State in 2014.
He and his wife, Shayla, have three sons, Caleb, Levi and Asher, and a daughter, Tenley.
