Related Links:
Coaching Staff Web Page
 
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater head football coach Kevin Bullis has announced the hiring of four assistant coaches, who will join the staff immediately to begin preparation for the 2015 season.
 
Rob Erickson, formerly the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at UW-Platteville, has been hired as assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Former UW-Oshkosh co-offensive coordinator Craig Smith has been tabbed offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
 
UW-Whitewater graduates Brent Allen and Jace Rindahl have also been added to the staff. Allen will coach the offensive line, while Rindahl will serve as run defense coordinator and linebackers coach.
 
Erickson enters his position with 11 years of experience as a defensive coordinator, including seven in his most recent role at UW-Platteville. Under his tutelage, the Pioneers held opponents to single digits in scoring in 21 games, including five shutouts. In 2014, UW-Platteville ranked second in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and 14th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 14.3 points per game.
 
A former student-athlete at UW-Platteville and graduate of UW-Stevens Point, Erickson also held defensive coordinator posts at Aurora (Ill.) from 2005-07 and at UW-Stevens Point from 2003-04.
 
Smith joins the Warhawks after managing the UW-Oshkosh passing game as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks/wide receivers coach. He was named WIAC Co-Assistant Coach of the Year in 2012 after helping the Titans lead the conference in total offense (480.1 yards per game) and passing efficiency (160.72). UW-Oshkosh claimed the WIAC championship and reached the semifinals of the NCAA Playoffs.
 
Smith graduated from UW-Platteville, where he was a two-year letter winner in football. Prior to UW-Oshkosh, he served as offensive coordinator at Quincy (Ill.) University from 2006-07, was an assistant coach at UW-Platteville (2004-05) and was head coach at Southwestern High School (2002-03).
 
Allen starts his tenure as an assistant coach for the Warhawks after serving as an assistant at Augustana (Ill.) for two seasons. He was a four-year member of the UW-Whitewater football team from 2004-07, earning the Rimington Trophy as the top center in NCAA Division III in 2007, when the team won its first national championship. A two-time first team All-WIAC selection, Allen got his start in coaching at Carroll University, where he was a graduate assistant from 2009-11 and offensive line coach in 2012.
 
Rindahl returns to UW-Whitewater following a two-year stint as running backs coach at the University of South Dakota, a Football Championship Subdivision institution. He was a first team All-American and the D3football.com Defensive Player of the Year as a linebacker in 2008 after leading the Warhawks to their fourth straight appearance in the Stagg Bowl national championship game. Rindahl served as linebackers coach and special teams assistant from 2009-12, a span during which UW-Whitewater won three national championships.