The UW-Whitewater football team enjoyed a highly successful 2021 campaign – the team finished 13-1 overall and ended their season in the national semifinals ranking third in the nation. That highly successful coaching staff saw a massive turnover this offseason, with four positions getting filled.

The biggest change on the staff is the departure of Peter Jennings, the team’s offensive coordinator who took the head coach position at UW-Oshkosh. Brent Allen, who was in charge of the team’s run schemes and offensive line, took the offensive coordinator position at UW-Platteville. Marcus McLin took the defensive coordinator job at Division II Bemidji State. Tim Shields changed roles as well but remains with the Warhawks.

According to head coach Kevin Bullis, this is the most openings the team has had to fill in one offseason since he became head coach in 2015. Although it is difficult to fill so many roles, Bullis is proud that so many on his staff have been able to make advancements and take on jobs in new places. With all the new openings, the team had to promote from within as well as bring in some outside talent.

“You lose some really talented people but I’ll tell you the people that are coming in here have knowledge and experience here,” Bullis said. “I think the continuity of the staff and how continuity of how they work together will accelerate the transition process.”

The largest position, offensive coordinator, is filled by Nick Pesik. Pesik, who will also be the new quarterbacks coach, was the wide receivers coach for the Warhawks from 2016 to 2018, he then became the offensive coordinator at UW-Stout before present return to Whitewater. 

“Coordinators have a vision of the big view. Nick had that even as a young wide receivers coach,” Bullis said. “He moved on to Stout and did a fantastic job as a coordinator, really in a short period of time. That was the thing that impressed me, was how quickly he got their offense rolling.”

With Pesik having been a previous coach for the team, he already understands the expectations and standards of Warhawk football. He is even returning to some players that he recruited in his first stint with the Warhawks. He believes that those relationships will be of great help to him as he acclimates and the players adapt to the change.

“It’s nice because I could lean on those guys right when I got back here, I could lean on Holte, I could lean on Sam [DeLany]. One because they know what they’re getting with me coming back, we have a relationship, and vice versa, I know I can lean on them. That’s probably the coolest part,” Pesik said.

Despite the major change, Pesik is working to ensure that the Warhawk offense stays largely the same Pro Style offense that it has been for many years. Of course, there will be a new stamp on the Warhawk offense as Pesik takes over.

“Obviously we are still going to run the football, that’s what we hang our hat on, but we will do other things just to kind of evolve that pass game a little bit,” Pesik said. “Every year you kind of evolve to what your personale is and the kind of group you have and at the end of day what fits the quarterback… You’ll probably see a little more movement and shifting, trading motion, it will all come based on our personale.”

With the graduation of Max Meylor, the position of quarterback will have to be filled by a new player in the 2022 season. Many other offensive positions will need filling after the departures of All-American offensive lineman Kyle Gannon and running back Alex Peete, as well as the highly impactful wide receivers Ryan Wisnieski and Derek Kumerow.

Other new coaches include Brody Pogue, who will take the reins of the wide receivers coaching position. Pogue is the only one of the new coaches that has not been a Warhawk before. Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator at Illinois College.

“Brody is a young man that has really accelerated in his career,” Bullis said. “You like having guys that have experience coordinating, obviously as your coordinator position but also in those assistant roles. That’s the thing I’m really excited about, is bringing in a guy who is just a great teacher.”

Teril Boldiis will take on the role of tight ends coach, a promotion from his previous position on the Warhawks staff as an assistant offensive line coach. Boldiis previously worked at Lakeland University, Buffalo State College and the University of Buffalo.

“Tae was a young man that came and worked at a camp of ours last summer, a linemans camp, and he did a great job, did a fantastic job. Later in July we had a position pop open… and he helped out with our offensive line,” Bullis said. “I’ll tell you within a couple of weeks his organization skills, his detail skills, his ability to communicate and his work ethic is second to none. I knew he was a guy that in the end I really wanted to get to be a position coach.”

Tim Shields is another promotion from within. Previously he was the tight ends coach and offensive tackles coach, now he will be the offensive line coach. Shields first joined Whitewater’s staff in 2017 and has coached numerous all-conference players.

“Tim is a guy that I always knew was a guy that I wanted to promote because he is a great coach, great communicator, a great teacher, he’s the essence of it,” Bullis said. “He also has a great relationship with coach Pesik, those guys have coached together here as well so it’s great when you can have that type of cohesiveness.”

The Warhawks started spring practices on April 4, putting the new pieces of their coaching staff together for the first time. The team has plenty of work to do as eleven All-WIAC players graduate, those eleven include seven All-Region players, five All-Americans and one semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy.