UND offensive coordinator Jake Landry leaving to take same job at North Dakota State, source says
Jan. 26—GRAND FORKS — For the second time this offseason, the UND football program has an offensive coordinator leaving Grand Forks for a similar job in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Jake Landry, a Grand Forks native and former UND quarterback, will last less than a week as Fighting Hawks offensive coordinator in order to take a similar job at North Dakota State, a source has told the Herald.
UND is expected to move quickly to name a replacement, according to a source.
The Herald reported Jan. 9 UND's offensive coordinator of the past five seasons — Danny Freund — was leaving to become co-offensive coordinator at South Dakota State, the two-time defending national champions.
On Jan. 18, the Herald reported Landry would return to his alma mater to replace Freund. Landry spent the previous two seasons as offensive coordinator at St. Thomas, a program in the non-scholarship Pioneer League.
On Wednesday, news broke NDSU offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl, a former Bison player and coach of the past 11 seasons, was leaving Fargo for Tennessee State.
First-year NDSU head football coach Tim Polasek, who was announced in his new position Dec. 17, 2023, crossed paths with Landry at Northern Illinois.
Polasek spent one season at Northern Illinois, serving as tight ends/fullbacks coach in 2013. That same year, Landry started a three-year stop at NIU, coaching quarterbacks at the start of the stint.
"The opportunity to come back and be the offensive coordinator in my hometown and alma mater is something my family and I are very excited about," Landry said in a UND release Jan. 18. "I am ready to dive into the work ahead and honored for this incredible opportunity."
Landry has coaching stints at St. Thomas, Temple, Northern Illinois, Wisconsin-La Crosse and Minnesota-Duluth.
UND, which beat North Dakota State 49-24 last season, finished 7-5 after a first-round FCS playoff loss to Sacramento State at the Alerus Center.
The Hawks face a challenging 2024 schedule including games against Iowa State, Montana, North Dakota State, South Dakota State and South Dakota.
UND's next offensive coordinator will have a new leader in the huddle, too, as veteran quarterback Tommy Schuster entered the transfer portal this offseason before committing to Michigan State.
