One of the top Division III coaches is set to take over a Division II rebuild, sources tell FootballScoop.
Matt Janus, the head coach at UW-La Crosse for the past six seasons, is set to be announced as the new head coach at Northern Michigan.
Sources share that an announcement is expected at some point Monday.
Tabbed initially as the interim head coach in December 2019, Janus was elevated to the permanent head coaching role in February of 2020.
With the 2020 season cancelled due to COVID, Janus' first season leading the team onto the field was 2021, and he led the team to a 9-3 mark including an impressive 6-1 mark in the ultra-competitive WIAC. They finished that year ranked 11th in the final D3Football.com poll and 12th in the AFCA top 25 Division II poll.
Janus had won four games in the Division III playoffs heading into this year, highlighted by a trip to the national quarterfinals in 2003, and this season beat Hope (D-III - II) in the second round before losing a tight one to North Central (D-III - IL) in the following round 35-27.
The two-time WIAC George Chryst Coach of the Year has put together an impressive 45-14 record leading the program over the past six years.
This past season, Janus led the Eagles to an 8-3 record and finished 13th in the final D3Football.com poll.
A highly respected defensive mind, Janus spent three seasons as the Eagles defensive coordinator before being elevated to head coach. In his final season calling the defense, the Eagles ranked among the top four in the WIAC in eight different major defense categories.
He brings a wealth of experience in Wisconsin, a longstanding recruiting hold for Northern Michigan, as he previously coached at UW-Platteville and served as the athletic department's recruiting coordinator for two seasons. The bulk of the Wildcats current roster comes from Michigan and Wisconsin, with players from Illinois and Minnesota mixed in as well.
At Northern Michigan, he takes over one of the toughest jobs in Division II football.
Janus is set to take over for Shane Richardson, who went 1-30 overall before resigning in-season this past fall as an investigation took place related to an altercation between himself and a player. Richardson's lone win came after 28 straight losses in a game back in October against new GLIAC member Roosevelt (D-II - IL) where they attempted just one pass and ran for 538 yards on 71 attempts.
Following Richardson's dismissal, offensive coordinator Billy Lindquist was named interim head coach and led the team to two-straight wins over Davenport (in four overtimes) and Wayne State.
Northern Michigan got a first-hand look at Janus' program back in 2023 with a week 3 matchup between the two program. La Crosse handed the Wildcats a dominant 34-3 loss for a rare Division III win over a Division III program.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest in coaching news and job information.