North Dakota State’s two-time national championship-winning football coach Matt Entz will resign after the 2023 season to become the USC assistant head coach for defense and linebackers coach.
The 51-year-old Entz will continue to coach the Bison (11-3) through their FCS playoff run, the school announced on Sunday. They next play at Montana in a national semifinal on Saturday.
Entz has a 60-10 record in five seasons guiding the Bison, winning FCS national titles in the 2019 and ’21 seasons, and leading a runner-up finish last year. He also was the defensive coordinator on four other national title-winning teams from 2014-18.
The USC position would be Entz’s first on the FBS level.
NDSU announced the search for a new head coach would begin immediately. Offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl, an alum, is considered the leading candidate among coaches on the current staff.
A head coach announcing an impending departure while his team is making a playoff run would be stunning at many programs, but not with NDSU, where it’s occurred twice previously during the Bison’s FCS dynasty. Craig Bohl finished out a national championship run in 2013 after accepting the head coaching position at Wyoming, then Chris Klieman did the same in 2018 after accepting the Kansas State job.
Logan Campbell of WDAY-TV in Fargo and ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported Entz had accepted the USC position under coach Lincoln Riley. The Trojans are joining the Big Ten next year.