January 5th, 2026 1:00pm
From svsucardinals.com
UNIVERSITY CENTER, MICH. – Michael Engle, who has established himself as one of the top offensive coordinators in NCAA Division II, has been selected as the next head football coach at Saginaw Valley State University, according to an announcement made Monday, Jan. 5, by Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics John Lewandowski. The 36-year-old Engle takes over the Cardinal program after spending the past four seasons at UIndy.
Engle will be formally introduced as the eighth head football coach in SVSU history at a press conference, scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 2 p.m. in Curtiss Hall (Seminar Rooms E-F). The public is invited to attend.
"Throughout the search process, Michael Engle began to create separation from our extremely competitive pool of highly qualified candidates for the position," Lewandowski said. 'Michael has a proven track record and extensive experience as an offensive coordinator, and he's played a vital role in UIndy's recent success.
"He will create an offensive scheme that provides our current personnel with the best opportunity to win. Michael has a clear vision of what he wants the culture and identity of SVSU football to be. He also has a season-long plan, focused on player development on both sides of the football.
"Most importantly, Michael shares our goal of building a perennial Top 25 program that will compete for GLIAC Championships and be positioned for long postseason runs while graduating players, who will be prepared to be leaders and difference makers in their chosen professions and local communities."
"It is an honor and a privilege to be named the head football coach at Saginaw Valley State University," Engle said. "I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and for the trust the university has placed in me to lead its football program.
"I have tremendous respect for Cardinal football and have seen firsthand from the visitor's sideline the toughness and commitment of this team, as well as the support it has from the Athletics Department, students, alumni and fans.
"I am excited to be a part of the football program and to build on the history and tradition, created by its players and the university," Engle continued. "Saginaw Valley State is committed to providing student-athletes with a 'Championship Experience.' As a football staff, that means putting our players in a position to consistently compete for a GLIAC Championship, playoff berth and success in postseason play.
"Everything we do will be rooted in accountability, development, and a relentless pursuit of excellence on and off the field. We have a group of very talented players here working towards those goals and will build on that by continuing to recruit and develop outstanding student-athletes, who are positioned to succeed on the field, in the classroom, and most importantly, in life."
With the Greyhounds, Engle served as the pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2022 and 2023 seasons before his promotion to offensive coordinator for the last two years. He added the title of assistant head coach prior to the 2025 campaign.
During his four-year tenure, UIndy produced a combined record of 39-8 (.829), including four consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships with a 28-1 mark (.966) and four-straight NCAA Division II postseason appearances. In addition, the Greyhounds ranked among the American Football Coaches Association's Top 25 in each of the last four years, including No. 17 in 2022, No. 22 in 2023, No. 19 in 2024 and No. 10 in 2025 – its highest finish in program history.
Engle was named one of five finalists for the Division II Coordinator of the Year, presented by FootballScoop, after leading one of the top offensive attacks in the nation. The 2025 Greyhound offense led the nation in red-zone scores (67) and ranked second in points per game (46), yards per game (500.3), yards per play (7.81), first downs (335), passing yards (4,089), and passing touchdowns (42).
Engle's quarterbacks topped D2 in yards per pass attempt with an average of 10.93, a .719 completion percentage, and a passing efficiency rating of 197.08. Engle coached 2025 Harlon Hill Trophy runner-up and AFCA First-Team All-American Gavin Sukup. A three-time Harlon Hill nominee, Sukup also was a 2025 D2Football.com Elite 100 selection and three-time GLVC Player of the Year winner.
Under Engle's tutelage, Sukup set program records for single-season and career passing touchdowns, passing yards, and total yards. His 2025 season saw him rank first in NCAA DII in completion percentage (72.3%), passing efficiency (195.62), and yards per attempt (10.56). He ranked second in passing yards (3,695), passing touchdowns (41) and points responsible for (278), and finished fifth in points per game (21.4) and sixth in total offense (309.1).
Prior to UIndy, Engle was the offensive coordinator at NCAA Division III DePauw University for two seasons, from 2020-21. While at his alma mater, Engle also worked with both the quarterbacks and wide receivers. He helped the team to a 12-3 record over those three seasons, including the first North Coast Athletic Conference Championship and the first-ever playoff win.
In 2021, Engle coached the NCAC Newcomer of the Year and first-team All-NCAC selection, in Jaylon Smith, who led the league in TD receptions (10) and yards per catch (24.0) and finished second in receiving yards (767). He also worked with two second-team all-conference selections, in quarterback Chase Andries and wide receiver Trey Shaw. Andries led the NCAC in completion percentage (.652) and passing efficiency (175.3 rating) while finishing third in TD passes (21) and fourth in passing yards (2,347) while Shaw ranked among the league leaders in TD receptions (second with 9) and receiving yards (fourth with 739).
Before returning to his alma mater, Engle had coaching stops at Florida Tech as the special teams coordinator and wide receiver coach from 2017-19; West Virginia Wesleyan as the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach in 2016-17; and Bryant University as the wide receivers coach from 2012-15.
He launched his coaching career as the running back coach at DePauw in 2011.
A native of Terre Haute, Indiana, Engle was a team captain and all-conference quarterback during his playing career at DePauw. As a senior in 2010, he threw for 3,157 yards and 30 touchdowns while leading the Tigers to a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title and playoff appearance in 2010. He graduated with six school records and still holds the single-season mark for completions with 280 (2010). Engle received his bachelor's degree in political science from DePauw in 2011.