Career
He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the University of North Texas, a position he held from 2010 to 2015. He became the interim head coach of the Mean Green twice, after the firing of Todd Dodge in 2010 and the firing of Dan McCarney in 2015. During the 2010 season at North Texas, he was promoted from offensive coordinator to interim head coach after the mid-season termination of his predecessor, Todd Dodge.
UNT averaged 33.8 points a game after Canales took over as head coach, after averaging 16.9 points in the first seven games of the season.
Canales amassed a 2–3 record as interim head coach. Despite North Texas players" support for Canales, the full-time head coaching position was awarded to former Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney.
McCarney retained Canales as offensive coordinator. Canales attended Utah State University, where he was a three-year starting quarterback on the football team
Canales took over again on an interim basis after McCarney was fired five games into the 2015 season, a stretch in which North Texas went 0-5.
Following a 1-6 record in his second interim tenure, and athletic director Rick Villarreal announced Canales wouldn"t return in any facet for the 2016 season.