Director of Athletics Rick Comley said that after a national search, Matt Janus has been hired from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he led the Eagles in six seasons to a 45-14 record that included five straight Division III playoff appearances.

“I want to thank Clay Dawes and Collegiate Consulting for their assistance throughout the search,” Comley said in an NMU Sports Information news release annoucing the hire. “I am thrilled to welcome Matt Janus as the leader of our football program. Matt brings excellent leadership and a proven record of success at UW-La Crosse. He will build an outstanding staff and enhance our returning players as we continue working to re-establish the proud tradition of Wildcat football.”

Details about an introductory press conference will be announced “in the coming days,” according to NMU SI.

“My family and I are beyond thrilled to be joining the Wildcat family and the Marquette community,” Janus said in the NMU SI release about Northern’s NCAA Division II program. “It’s amazing in life the paths you go on, and those paths — after some twists and turns — eventually led me here to Northern Michigan.

Head coach Matt Janus, center with arm raised, signals to his Wisconsin-La Crosse football team on the field during an Eagles’ game. (Photo courtesy NMU)

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and excited to get to work.”

“We will UP the experience of our student-athletes, because the experience is what sets us apart. Northern Michigan, this athletic department, and the city of Marquette create the trifecta of what the college experience should be. Our program — just like the U.P. — is for the energetic, the tough, the bold, the loyal and the adventurist.

“We will search far and wide for student-athletes who want THE EXPERIENCE and, more importantly, know in their hearts that Northern is THE EXPERIENCE. Stay Yooper. Go Cats!”

Janus replaces Shane Richardson, a former NMU player who guided the Wildcats from 2023 through the first nine games of this past season before resigning on Nov. 7 with a 1-30 record over almost three seasons.

Billy Lindquist, who had been associate head coach and offensive coordinator, assumed head coaching duties for the final two games, both victories where the Wildcats scored more than 40 points in each game and were led by redshirt freshman running back Noah Dobert rolling up a total of 649 yards rushing in those contests.

Matt Janus

Janus has some familiarity with Marquette, guiding his UW-La Crosse team to victories over NMU 34-3 in Marquette in 2023 and 35-21 over Northern in La Crosse in 2024.

Janus’ record includes 29-6 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as his teams were ranked in the national top 25 every week of the past two seasons, finishing each season from 2021-25 in the top 25 of polls conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and also D3football.com.

He led the Eagles to consecutive WIAC championships in 2022 and 2023, including an undefeated 7-0 mark in 2023 for its first outright league title since 2004. In ’23, UW-La Crosse finished 11-2 to be ranked fourth in the nation while advancing to the quarterfinals of the Division III playoffs for the first time since 1996.

Janus was named WIAC Coach of the Year in those two league championship seasons and also a regional coach of the year in 2023 by D3football.com. His teams could claim more than 70 All-WIAC selections, including multiple Player of the Year picks, 12 All-Americans and several Gagliardi Trophy semifinalists.

Before being named head coach in February 2020, the month before the international shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Janus was UW-La Crosse defensive coordinator for three seasons. Those units consistently ranked among the WIAC’s best, setting a school record with 40 quarterback sacks in 2019 and leading its league in categories that included third-down defense, red-zone defense and turnovers.

Prior to La Crosse, he was a coach at Wisconsin-Platteville with titles including co-defensive coordinator, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. He helped Platteville earn a Division III playoff berth and top-15 national ranking in 2016.

He began his coaching career at Sheboygan Falls High School near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and had served as a graduate assistant at UW-Platteville.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the announcement. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.