Zach McCarthy came to Central Missouri in the spring of 2024 as the Linebackers Coach after serving as a Defensive Graduate Assistant at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, from 2023-2024. Prior to his time with the Mean Green, McCarthy was a Defensive Analyst and Graduate Assistant at his alma mater, Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas.

He graduated from Texas State with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2017 and earned a master's degree in education from Texas State in 2021.