University of North Dakota Athletics

Joel Schwenzfeier will enter his second season as the defensive coordinator in 2024 and his 12th season as an assistant coach at his alma mater.

Schwenzfeier has been a coach on the defensive side of the ball for 10 seasons at UND, working with the outside linebackers from 2014-17 before spending the 2018-2022 seasons with the safeties. Prior to his work with the defense, Schwenzfeier spent time coaching the running backs in 2013. He was elevated to defensive coordinator prior to the 2023 season.

In 2023, Schwenzfeier’s defense helped North Dakota rank No. 4 in the MVFC in turnover margin, with a margin of +0.33 and 13 takeaways. The Fighting Hawks had a positive turnover margin in seven games during the season. Linebacker Wyatt Pedigo led the nation with four fumbles recovered and a pair of fumbles forced.

Along with the positive turnover margin in 2023, the Fighting Hawks also consistently turned teams away from first downs on fourth down. NoDak ranked No. 3 in the league in fourth down conversion percentage defensively, turning teams away 47.8 percent of the time.
 
With the help of his safeties in 2022, the Fighting Hawks ranked No. 2 in the MVFC in fourth down conversion percentage defensively, turning opponents away from first downs on fourth down attempts 53.8 percent of the time. The Hawks also turned opponents away from points in the red zone 19.2 percent of the time, allowing the Hawks to sit No. 2 in the conference in red zone defense.
 
Starting safeties Kadon Kauppinen and Jayson Coley played large roles for the UND defense in 2022. Kauppinen ended the season as the No. 2 tackler on the team with 63 total stops, a pair of TFL's, one interception, a forced fumble and four pass breakups. On the opposite side, Coley recorded 36 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack that sealed the 35-30 victory at Youngstown State.
 
Aided by Jordan Canady's return from an injury in 2020, the safeties group had another strong season in 2021. Canady finished third on the team with 49 tackles, had one interception and forced a fumble. The secondary finished as one of the top passing defenses in the nation, ranking third in the MVFC and 27th in the FCS at 197.4 yards allowed per game.
 
His secondary took a step at safety with a pair of returners in 2020-21, as both Canady and Hayden Galvin returned to their starting roles for most of the season. The duo each grabbed a pair of interceptions to lead the team while Kadon Kauppinen finished third on the team with 34 tackles and stepped into a starting spot for the final two games following an injury to Canady.
 
The 2019 season marked his second leading the safeties, with Jordan Canady leading the way. The junior finished second on the team with 87 tackles, including a team-best 53 solo stops, while also grabbing an interception and three breakups. Galvin was thrust into a starting role and shined with 63 tackles and an INT.
 
In his first year working with the safeties, Schwenzfeier led a young, but talented group led by sophomore Jordan Canady and junior Leonard Nelson IV. The duo combined for four of the team's eight interceptions, including Canady's team-leading three. Canady also finished fourth on the team with 33 solo tackles and second on the team with seven pass breakups.
 
Prior to that year, Schwenzfeier’s outside linebackers were a key part of a defensive unit that led the Big Sky in rush defense in three of the past four seasons and ranked near the top in several other categories. In 2017, junior Tanner Palmborg collected All-Big Sky third team honors after totaling 43 tackles and sharing the team lead with 8.5 tackles for loss.
 
In 2016, senior Brian Labat continued his successes on and off the field, earning All-Big Sky accolades on the field and CoSIDA Academic All-District honors for his work in the classroom. He led the team once again with 8.0 tackles for loss and added two sacks and two interceptions.
 
 
In 2015, Schwenzfeier’s position group helped UND once again rank among the tops in the Big Sky in defense, holding the top spot in rush defense (100.3 ypg) and second spot in total defense (2nd; 359.9 ypg). Labat was named second team All-Big Sky after racking up 9.0 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Sophomore Jake Disterhaupt shared the team lead with 4.0 sacks in his first season as a starter.
 
In his first year working with the outside linebackers, his unit accounted for 38 of the team’s 111 tackles for loss, which ranked sixth nationally in the Football Championship Subdivision in 2015. The defense also ranked atop the Big Sky in total defense and rush defense.
 
Labat led that group with a team-high 12.0 TFL’s, while junior Dayo Idowu had 9.0 and was named ROOT SPORTS Big Sky Player of the Week for his efforts in the win over Stony Brook.
 
Schwenzfeier made 37 career starts and played in all 44 games at strong safety during a four-year career that spanned from 2007-10. He finished his career with 11 interceptions and tied a UND single-game record with three in the 2009 season-opener at Texas Tech.
 
Schwenzfeier was named to the media’s All-Great West first team following his senior season in 2010. He had three interceptions in that season, including taking one back for a 100-yard touchdown return. Schwenzfeier earned his bachelor's degree in business economics from UND in 2011.
 
Schwenzfeier and his wife, Annika, have a daughter (Jovi) and son (Koi).