Heading into year three in Kalamazoo, Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor has had to do more than his fair share of hiring coaches, including reloading at his coordinator spots multiple times already early in his tenure.
After losing offensive line coach Trevor Mendelson to an opportunity in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Taylor once again found himself with a key position to fill on the offensive side of the ball as the Broncos creep toward to start of spring football practices.
Sources tell FootballScoop to fill that opening, Taylor is turning to an FCS coach with experience as a player and coach in the MAC, who will also bring some respected Big Ten experience to the table.
Joe Pawlak, the offensive line coach at Montana (FCS) last season, is set to join the Broncos staff, sources tell FootballScoop.
Pawlak is a former three-year starter on the offensive line at Northern Illinois, where he was a key cog in the offensive front that paved the way for future Heisman Trophy finalist Jordan Lynch. The Huskies won the MAC in 2011 while setting 12 different school records that year.
After two seasons as a graduate assistant for his alma mater, Pawlak spent three seasons in a graduate assistant role under Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, where the Hawkeye offensive line were finalists for the 2016 Joe Moore Award, which is annually presented to the top offensive line group in the country.
Pawlak landed his first full-time on-field coaching opportunity at North Dakota (FCS), where they broke passing records and he developed one of the top offensive lines when it came to pass protection in the country. His Fighting Hawk offensive lines also helped produce a top 5 rushing attack in their league in each of his last three seasons with the team as well.
Bobby Hauck hired Pawlak away from UND back in February of 2024, and the hire helped the Grizz complete a 9-5 season last fall.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.