Luke Schleusner - Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach - Football Coaches

BROOKINGS, SD - SEPTEMBER 7: xxxxxxx (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

Luke Schleusner

Title:
Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach
Email:
Luke.Schleusner@sdstate.edu
Recruiting Area:
Chicago Metro (South), Indiana

Luke Schleusner (last name is pronounced SHLICE-ner) joined the Jackrabbit coaching staff in February 2014, and added the title of passing game coordinator in 2019. After serving as tight ends coach for his first six seasons at SDSU, Schleusner took over coaching the wide receivers for the 2020-21 campaign.

During his first season at SDSU, in 2014, Schleusner directed a group that complemented the passing game and provided strong run blocking for a Jackrabbit offense that averaged 31.8 points and 435.1 yards of total offense per game.

In 2015, the Jackrabbits featured the top tight end tandem in the Missouri Valley Football Conference as both Dallas Goedert and Cam Jones earned postseason accolades. A first-team all-MVFC selection, Goedert finished second on the team with 26 receptions for 484 yards and three touchdowns. Jones, an honorable mention all-league honoree, added 24 catches for 298 yards.

Goedert emerged as the top tight end in the Football Championship Subdivision during the 2016 campaign, recording a school-record 92 receptions for 1,293 yards and 11 touchdowns en route to becoming a unanimous All-America selection. He repeated as a unanimous All-American in 2017 after posting his second consecutive 1,000-yard season, recording team highs of 72 receptions and 1,111 receiving yards. Goedert went on to be selected in the second round of the NFL Draft by the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Schleusner continued to develop quality tight ends during the 2018 season as true freshman Blake Kunz (20 receptions for 343 yards and 3 touchdowns) and Kallan Hart (11 receptions for 147 yards) ranked third and fourth on the team in catches, respectively, while also aiding in blocking for a potent Jackrabbit rushing attack. Hart would be go on to be an honorable mention all-MVFC selection as a senior in 2019 after catching a pair of touchdown passes and providing solid blocking for a rushing attack that ranked third in the league with an average of 198.2 yards per game.

The passing game during the 2020-21 season featured twin brothers Jaxon and Jadon Janke as the team's top receivers. Jaxon Janke was a second-team all-MVFC selection after catching 32 passes for 473 yards and six touchdowns, while Jadon ranked among the FCS leaders with an average of 20.2 yards on 21 receptions.

Schleusner also has played an instrumental role in coaching the Jackrabbits’ special teams units. Redshirt freshman Cade Johnson excelled on special teams during the 2017 campaign, establishing a single-season school record with 839 kickoff return yards. Johnson became the first Jackrabbit player since 1964 to return two kickoffs for touchdowns and later was honored on a pair of freshman All-America squads.

SDSU also ranked fifth in the FCS ranks with six blocked kicks in 2017 and was third with eight blocked kicks in 2018.

Schleusner has coached at the collegiate level for 18 seasons, previously serving as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at the University of North Dakota during the 2013 season. A UND alumnus, Schleusner returned to Grand Forks in 2011, serving as tight ends and fullbacks coach for a squad that claimed a share of the Great West Football Conference title. He was elevated to passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2012, directing a unit that set school records for passing yards and passing touchdowns.

Prior to UND, Schleusner coached six seasons at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He filled the roles of special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator from 2005-08, serving a key role in the Mavericks’ turnaround. He added wide receivers coach and passing game duties his final two seasons at MSU, helping guide the Mavericks to the 2009 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division title and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Schleusner began his collegiate coaching career in the fall of 2002 at Western Illinois, where he earned a master’s degree in sport management. He coached the Fighting Leathernecks’ tight ends for two seasons, before adding the title of special teams coordinator in 2004. Western claimed the Gateway Conference (now Missouri Valley Football Conference) title in 2002 and made playoff appearances in both 2002 and 2003.

As a player, Schleusner was an all-North Central Conference selection in 2001 as a wide receiver in helping lead UND to the NCAA Division II national title. A native of Menomonie, Wisconsin, he also was a two-time academic all-NCC selection while majoring in sociology.