North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz leaving for assistant position with USC Trojans per report
North Dakota State head football coach Matt Entz is leaving the school for an assistant coaching position with the USC Trojans, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Sunday afternoon. He’ll work with the linebackers under head coach Lincoln Riley, and he’ll also be the assistant head coach with the Trojans. It’s just another serious offseason move Riley has made in attempt to improve the USC defense, which has been among the worst in college football the past few years.
The timing of the news is a bit strange, since Entz and NDSU are in the middle of another successful playoff run in the Division I-AA Playoffs. He will remain with North Dakota State until the end of their playoff run this season. In his five seasons with the Bison as their head coach, Entz has compiled a 60-10 overall record, including a 32-7 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Before starting to work with NDSU in 2014, Entz made a number of stops across the college football landscape including: Western Illinois, Northern Iowa, Winona State, Wayne State, and Illinois College.
USC formally announced the move on their Twitter page on Sunday night.
NDSU is in the middle of another impressive playoff run this season. The Bison just whipped South Dakota 45-17 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Division I-AA Playoffs. The Bison rolled up 416 total yards of offense, featuring a balanced attack of over 200 rushing yards and over 200 passing yards in the blowout.
Next up, North Dakota State will face off against the Montana Grizzlies in the semifinals of the Division I-AA Playoffs. The Grizzlies are yet another national power on the Division I-AA landscape. They’ve won 19 conference championships in the Big Sky Conference.
More information on Matt Entz and his coaching career
Entz’s resume speaks for itself. He was named the head football coach for the Bison in 2019 after he spent 2014-2018 there as the team’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. He helped guide North Dakota State to two Missouri Valley Conference Championships and two national championships in his first three seasons at the helm there. Entz also became the first Division I-AA head football coach to go 16-0 in his first full season there.
The Bison are one of the most successful programs in Division I-AA history. They’ve won 17 Division I-AA national titles and 37 conference titles. One of their more prominent players they’ve produced in the NFL is quarterback Carson Wentz, who currently plays for the LA Rams.