Wayne, Neb. — Wayne State College head football coach Logan Masters has announced the addition of three new coaches for the 2024 season. They are coaching assistant Tanner Johnson at tight ends, former Wayne State quarterback Brody Rohach will serve as wide receivers coach and Jake Willrich has been named special teams coordinator/defensive backs coach.
Johnson comes to Wayne State after playing tight end at Minnesota State and most recently Winona State. Johnson graduated from Winona State in December where he spent the last two seasons as a tight end and was an NSIC All-Academic Team selection. He began his collegiate career at Minnesota State where he spent three seasons and played in 26 games in his two years and was a member of the 2019 NCAA Division II national runner-up team.
Rohach (row – hotch) will serve as wide receivers coach at Wayne State after serving the 2023 season as tight ends coach at Division I Northern Iowa. Prior to that, Rohach acted as quarterbacks coach and academic coordinator at Sioux Falls in 2022 helping the Cougars to an 8-3 record. He served as offensive coordinator at Waldorf University in Iowa for two seasons (2020-21) where he coached 15 All-Conference players in two seasons and had a 13-6 record. Other coaching stops for Rohach include offensive/recruiting coordinator at Coe College in Iowa from 2018-2020, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Buena Vista University in 2017 and graduate assistant running backs coach at Central Missouri from 2015-17.
Rohach played three seasons at Wayne State from 2012-14 at quarterback after starting his collegiate career at Division I San Diego and earned two NSIC All-Academic Team honors as a Wildcat.
Willrich (will – rick) brings over two decades of coaching experience to the Wildcat sidelines. He coached at Nebraska-Kearney from 2015-2022 where he was special teams coordinator along with linebackers coach and defensive backs, helping the Lopers to the second round of the 2021 NCAA Division II playoffs along with 2019 Mineral Water Bowl champions.
Willrich coached the 2023 season at Kearney High School where he was defensive backs coach while also acting as a lecturer in the UNK Kinesiology and Sports Science Department. Other coaching stops for Willrich include five seasons as defensive coordinator, secondary coach and strength and conditioning coach at Division III Austin College in Texas (2010-14), assistant coach at Hastings College from 2006-09 and graduate assistant coach at Northwest Missouri State from 2004-05. Willrich was a three-time All-MIAA linebacker at Truman State in Missouri finishing in the top five in career tackles for the Bulldogs.
Wayne State will host Chadron State in a joint practice at Cunningham Field in Wayne on Saturday, April 20th at 1 p.m. The event will consist of one-on-one drills, skill competitions and situational team scenarios. The Wildcats open the 2024 season on Thursday, August 29th hosting Missouri S&T in a 6 p.m. game at Bob Cunningham Field.
