NRHEG grad joins Mavericks’ coaching staff
Sam Lundberg’s journey as a football coach has taken him from New Richland to New Mexico and now back to southern Minnesota as he was named the Minnesota State University-Mankato’s (MSU) tight ends coach on Thursday, Jan. 28.
MSU Head Coach Todd Hoffner stated, in a press release, that he was thrilled to have Lundberg join the Mavericks’ coaching staff.
“As a staff, we are excited to have Coach Lundberg working with our gifted and talented tight ends position group,” he said.
Likewise, the NRHEG Class of 2012 graduate said he’s excited to join the Division II powerhouse.
“I’ve followed their tradition of success; they’ve always been the top dog and it’s always a fun opportunity to work for one of the best programs in Division II,” he said.
Hoffner said a few reasons why he wanted Lundberg to work for their program are his wealth of knowledge, his enthusiasm and his familiarity to greater Mankato.
The main reasons Lundberg is familiar with the greater Mankato area are his hometown is Ellendale, which is just 48 miles away from Mankato, and he played four seasons as a quarterback and after graduation, began his coaching career at Gustavus Adolphus College, which is about 13 miles away from MSU’s campus.
In addition to his familiarity with greater Mankato, he believes his other strengths as a coach are his energy, his ability to relate with young men since he just graduated from college five years ago and his breadth of coaching experience, having coached at every level of college football, Division I to Division III.
Lundberg’s coaching experience will be put to the test as all six tight ends on the Mavericks’ roster are redshirt sophomores or younger.
As tight ends coach, it’ll be his responsibility to get these young tight ends ready for game speed so they’re ready to perform once its game time.
“We’re making sure they’re ready to go as hard and as fast as they can for four to six seconds to get from point A to point B,” he said.
Despite their inexperience, he said they’re all big student-athletes, so they’ll create mismatches whether in the run game or pass game.
One of those mismatch-creating tight ends he’ll be coaching is Blooming Prairie Class of 2020 graduate Gabe Hagen.
Lundberg said Hagen has tremendous upside because he has a great frame, 6’4” and 250 pounds, but can still run really well.
Additionally, he praised Hagen’s receiving and blocking ability.
“He’s a natural pass catcher and a physical run blocker, which are rare skills especially at this level,” he said.
On top of coaching the tight ends, Lundberg said he’s excited to work with a coach who’s reached the national championship game twice in the past eight years.
“I want to learn what’s made the Mavericks’ program so successful for so many years and be able to take one or two things from our offensive and defensive coordinators who are very well-respected in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference,” he said.
While working to become a better coach can lead to focusing on the student-athlete’s on-field success, Lundberg also wants them to succeed off the field. His advice to the MSU student-athletes is to remember that they’re attending MSU to get a degree first and foremost, but also enjoy the experience.
“Take advantage of the education you’re receiving, enjoy the friendships that you make with your teammates and compete in everything you do because you’re going to be competing in the real world too,” he said.
He’s a good example of someone competing in the real world because he said he’s continuously trying to develop into best coach, man and person he can be.
Lundberg said his dream is to one day become an offensive coordinator and hopefully a head coach.
He also mentioned that his dream coaching destination is Texas Christian University or the University of Wisconsin.
“For now, I’m focusing on being in the moment at MSU and soaking in all the information I can to become the best tight ends coach I can be,” he said. “I also want to get these young men to be the best they can be on and off the field.”