UND announce four additions to 2025 football staff
GRAND FORKS – University of North Dakota (UND) head football coach Eric Schmidt announced the additions of Shawn Kostich, Donnell Kirkwood Jr., Trevor Olson and Travis Stepps to the 2025 Fighting Hawks staff on Tuesday.
“This is a combination of guys who are expert teachers that first and foremost is what I believe we need,” said Coach Schmidt. “Also, they are tireless recruiters, who have the ability to build relationships with recruits and players. That’s something that stands out to me.”
Kostich will be the special teams coordinator and coach of the nickels. Most recently, he has spent 11 seasons at UND as the special teams coordinator and coach of the fullbacks and tight ends.
In 2024, kicker C.J. Elrichs gained honorable mention All-MVFC honors and led the MVFC in field goals made per game (1.2). Return specialist Sawyer Seidl earned MVFC All-Newcomer Team honors and currently ranks No. 6 nationally and leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in yards per kick return (28.5) and ranked No. 4 in the conference in combined kick return yardage (484).
Fullback/tight end Jaden Norby also received Second Team All-MVFC accolades and his blocking helped UND rank No. 13 in the FCS in red-zone scoring (89.6 percent). His blocking helped North Dakota put up over 400 yards of offense three times, highlighted by 601 yards in the 72-35 win over Murray State.
Kirkwood Jr. just completed his second season as the running backs coach for the Fighting Hawks in 2024 and will continue coaching the running backs.
Last season, UND had the No. 25 rushing offense in the FCS, picking up 186.9 yards rushing per game. The three-headed monster in the backfield of Isaiah Smith, Gaven Ziebarth and Seidl each ranked in the top-20 in the conference in both rushing yards and rushing yardage per game.
Seidl’s 494 yards rushing in 2024 helped earn him MVFC All-Freshman Team accolades and he led North Dakota with 17 plays of 20+ yards during the season.
Olson joined North Dakota in February of 2024 and will remain the coach of the UND offensive line.
Coming into 2024, Olson inherited a group that had only one returning offensive lineman and rebuilt the line, with NoDak having the No. 13 red-zone scoring offense (89.6 percent) at the end of the season. Thanks to the push up front, North Dakota also ranked No. 20 in the FCS in time of possession (31:32), No. 21 in third down conversion percentage (45.6) and No. 25 in rushing offense (186.9). Right tackle Seth Anderson received honorable mention All-MVFC recognition at the end of the season.
Stepps will begin his 10th season at North Dakota in 2025 and his eighth year coaching the cornerbacks. He spent his first two seasons at UND with the safeties.
With Stepps’ guidance, Devin Hembry earned First Team All-MVFC status and Avery Scott was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team in 2024. Hembry defended just 1.0 passes per game, ranking him as the No. 2 pass defender in the conference.
Hembry also tied for No. 3 in the league in interceptions per game (0.3) and had a 92-yard pick-six in the 52-28 win over Idaho State. Scott was second on the team in interceptions (2) and recorded a 40-yard interception return for touchdown in the 72-35 win over Murray State.
North Dakota will announce additional hires in the coming weeks.