NSIC Coaching Carousel

[Iowacoo]

I see Coach Littlejohn is headed home to Fargo. He couldn’t have spent very long at UNI after leaving USF.

[Swisher]

Northern still doesn’t have a DC. Anyone hearing anything?

[Matt Witwicki]

I see Coach Littlejohn is headed home to Fargo. He couldn’t have spent very long at UNI after leaving USF.

When I saw this deal playing out, it didn't surprise me..with a new regime in Fargo (to some extent), it makes sense for them to bring back a guy who was a star there..and if UNI doesn't understand his decision....oh well. haha.

[Brandon]

D-2 part in Oakland CA is correct. The conference I provided was wrong.

Lincoln CA is not a member of the NCAA and/or Division II.

[laker]

Lincoln CA is not a member of the NCAA and/or Division II.

Correct, it is NOT. I tried to find information on Lincoln- that school is a haze. Supposedly joining this conference, which is a hodge podge of NON D2 schools.

https://open.substack.com/pub/wester...m_medium=email

[34blast]

Given the history that Isaac Fruechte has on his resume....former Gophers player and then a stint in the NFL, I felt like that would open some doors for him..and that's occured here with him heading up to UND. He had a strong offense with Northern (they got some dudes during COVID times), but then his offenses at Winona in 2022 and 2023 averaged mid 20's per game. In 2022, their D was the strength of the team when Winona made the postseason.

I will be interested to see who lands at Winona State for his OC spot. Considering WSU is fully funded (or close)..has a winning tradition and a great location (can recruit WI-IL-IA-MN within a few hours)..they should get a decent candidate. A few names that came to mind for me right away were former star QB Jack Nelson (who recently took the Quincy OC job), Charlie Cosgrove (Gustavus longtime OC)..seeing as Bergy the HC of WSU is tightly connected there as he was a star defender there and then coached in St. Peter as well. Other thoughts could be current assistants in the NSIC currently..but I wouldn't be shocked to see if Bergy looks at SDSU or a previous stop and their mid-level staff that would seek out the experience of being a DC at a good location in D2.

Matt, looks like you are sniffing up the right tree about connections. It has not been announced yet, but one of your ideas will be made true, probably by the end of the day.

[SW_Mustang]

Correct, it is NOT. I tried to find information on Lincoln- that school is a haze. Supposedly joining this conference, which is a hodge podge of NON D2 schools.

https://open.substack.com/pub/wester...m_medium=email

They advertised themselves to recruits as being D2 - which then got picked up by a publication who didn't vet the claim. That's why they get pegged as being D2 every so often.

The owner of the school is an interesting fella.

But I digress - here's all you need to know:

Gary Payton, former NBA star, rips college where he coaches basketball (usatoday.com)

[Matt Witwicki]

"Coach Bear", the OL Coach for Augie, is leaving coaching to pursue a 9-5 office job....as he's got 3 young kids who are very active..and he wants to be able to share more time with them. The challenges with being a coach (recruiting a lot on the weekends and such) have taken him away from he's oldest who's a hockey kid..and while he loves coaching, he's now going to watch football as a fan and be able to be around for his kids more often. He and I spoke today. Bear is a real good guy and when Brandon visited for the Key to the City Game, the guy who gave us a tour of the stadium and facilities was Coach Bear. I've known him for years and he's always supported D2 us and been very accommodating.

"Appreciate everything you've done for..and are doing for D2 football. Things aren't the same if you guys aren't forging the path." -Bear

[vikingfaithful]

The first time I watched a game with Coach Bear it was a cold windy day and he was instantly recognizable as he is a huge man, he was wearing a short sleeve shirt on that cold late Oct. day. Like our fearless leader Witt he is a Chicagoland native, the city of broad shoulders. Coach played D1 football as an offensive lineman for U. of Buffalo. Wish him good fortune and understand his desire to be home more often with 3 children as he transitions to the private sector. Will miss the big fellow roaming the sidelines and hope his replacement can coach the O-line as well as Coach Matt Bacoulis.

[#WolvesNation]

Northern still doesn’t have a DC. Anyone hearing anything?

Sounds like Schmidt will stick with running the defense this year.

[34blast]

Charlie Cosgrove as Whitt mentioned above have been named OL coach at Winona State. He was OL and offensive coordinator at D3 Gustavus Adolphus College. No word on OC yet.

[Matt Witwicki]

Blast, truthfully I thought he was gonna be the new OC. Getting him as OL Coach means they are getting an OC yet. Bergy showing he can get some good/experienced guys at Winona with em. Interesting.

https://gustavus.edu/profiles/ccosgrov

[vikingfaithful]

Augustana hires ex BYU player as OL coach to replace longtime assistant Matt Bacoulis who retired from coaching

Olszewski Names Brayden Kearsley as Offensive Line Coach - Augustana University Athletics (goaugie.com)

[CollegeFBGuy]

Bemidji State had Dylan Chmura (yep, Mark’s son) as OL coach last year. He was very good. He moved on to Tennessee State in Nashville, where Eddie George is the HC. Good luck to Dylan!

He was replaced by Wake Forest graduate assistant, Neil Davis

[Matt Witwicki]

https://twitter.com/CoachIsaiahR

Looks like a new addition to the Mavs offensive staff.