NDSU Adds Assistant Football Coaches

FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State head football coach Chris Klieman announced the addition of wide receivers coach Atif (ah-TEEF) Austin, defensive backs coach Joe Klanderman and tight ends/fullbacks coach Tyler Roehl to the Bison staff on Thursday, Jan. 23.

Austin was the running backs coach at Stetson in 2013 with previous stops at Northern Iowa (2005-09) and Southwest Minnesota State (2003-04), Klanderman spent the past 12 seasons at Minnesota State Mankato including the last seven as defensive coordinator, and Roehl returns to NDSU after working as a graduate assistant in 2011 and spending the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator and running backs coach at Moorhead High School.

The three hires fill out the full-time coaching staff.  NDSU will fill a graduate assistant position and a video coordinator position later this spring.

Austin was a four-year starter at Iowa State from 1999-02 before going to Southwest Minnesota State as assistant secondary coach in 2003 and inside linebackers coach in 2004.  He spent five seasons as running backs coach at Northern Iowa before returning to his high school alma mater, Tarpon Springs High School in Tampa, Fla., as the head coach and offensive coordinator in 2010 and 2011.  Austin earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Iowa State in 2003 and a master’s in leadership and education from Southwest Minnesota State in 2005.

Klanderman was a three-year starter on the defensive line for Minnesota State Mankato from 1997-01 and has been on the Mavericks staff since 2002.  He was a defensive line coach until moving to the secondary in 2005 and was elevated to the defensive coordinator role in 2007 as well as coaching the linebackers.  Klanderman earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies in 2001 and a master’s degree in sports administration in 2004 from MSU.

Roehl played at North Dakota State as a fullback and tailback from 2004-08 and finished as the school’s eighth leading rusher with 2,512 yards (currently 11th).  He ran for 1,431 yards his junior season including a school-record 263 yards in a 2007 victory at Minnesota.  Roehl signed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2009 as an undrafted free agent before a career-ending injury.  He was the running backs coach and junior varsity offensive coordinator at Concordia College in Moorhead in 2010 before spending the 2011 season at NDSU and two seasons at Moorhead High.  Roehl earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from NDSU in 2009.

North Dakota State went 15-0 and won its third straight NCAA Division I football championship last season.  The Bison return 13 starters (five offense, six defense, kicker and punter) and take a school- and Football Championship Subdivision-record 24-game winning streak into the 2014 season opener Aug. 30 at Iowa State.