Robert Arnheim - Wide Receivers Coach - Football Coaches - South Dakota State University Athletics

Robert Arnheim

Title:
Wide Receivers Coach
Email:
Robert.Arnheim@sdstate.edu
Recruiting Area:
Florida, Kansas

Robert Arnheim was hired as wide receivers coach at South Dakota State University in February 2016, bringing with him Division I experience as both a player and coach. He has mentored an All-America receiver in each of his four seasons with the Jackrabbits.

In his first season at SDSU, Arnheim coached a receiving unit led by Jake Wieneke, who earned All-America honors for the third consecutive season after tallying 78 catches for 1,316 yards and tying a then-single-season school record with 16 touchdown receptions. Three other SDSU wide receivers recorded at least 12 catches.

During the 2017 season, the Jackrabbits reached the semifinals of the Football Championship Subdivision behind a balanced passing attack that ranked second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and 18th nationally with an average of 262 yards per game. Five different wide receivers tallied double figures in receptions, including three with 20 or more catches. SDSU set a single-season school record with 35 touchdowns through the air en route to an 11-3 record.

Wieneke again was honored on multiple All-America teams after again tallying 16 touchdown receptions and becoming the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s career leader in receptions (288), receiving yards (5,157) and receiving touchdowns (59). His receiving touchdown total also ranked second in FCS history, while his yardage total ranked third.

In addition, Arnheim has coached the Jackrabbit return units on special teams. SDSU ranked seventh in the FCS in kickoff returns in 2017, led by Cade Johnson, who was honored on the MVFC All-Newcomer Team and freshman All-America teams selected by HERO Sports and Phil Steele. Johnson set an SDSU single-season record for kickoff return yards with 839 and became the first Jackrabbit player in more than 50 years to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season.

The 2018 Jackrabbits featured the top receiving tandem in the MVFC as Johnson and Adam Anderson combined for 114 receptions, 2,050 receiving yards and 24 touchdown catches. A first-team all-conference pick, Johnson was named to a pair of All-America teams (STATS, HERO Sports) after tallying 67 catches for 1,332 yards and a school-record 17 touchdowns. His 17 touchdown receptions also tied for the most among FCS receivers. Anderson received honorable mention all-MVFC accolades on the strength of 47 receptions for 718 yards and seven scores.

Three of Arnheim’s players received postseason accolades in 2019, highlighted by Johnson, who was a finalist for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award and a consensus All-America selection after leading the MVFC with 72 receptions and 1,222 receiving yards, while adding eight touchdown receptions. Anderson was an honorable mention all-league pick for the second year in a row after catching 37 passes for 474 yards and three scores, while Jaxon Janke receive Freshman All-America accolades following a season in which he contributed 29 receptions for 353 yards and four touchdowns.

Arnheim coached during the 2015 season at Upper Iowa University, where he served as the co-offensive coordinator in charge of the wide receivers and tight ends, and also assisted with special teams for a squad that tied a school record for wins in a season at the NCAA Division II level with six. He helped mentor two all-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference wide receivers, including Jalen Amis, who caught 108 passes in 11 games

A 2012 graduate of Western Michigan University, Arnheim began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, working under head coaches Bill Cubit in 2012 and P.J. Fleck in 2013. Arnheim moved on to the University of Illinois for the 2014 season, where he was a passing game assistant for a Fighting Illini squad that played in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl. He assisted with the running backs and special teams the following spring.

As a player, Arnheim earned all-Mid-American Conference recognition as a sophomore and senior. A three-year starter at wide receiver, he played in a school-record 50 consecutive games and finished eighth in program history with 151 career receptions.