Andrew Rolin
Head Football Coach
Season 3
Andrew Rolin was introduced on December 21st, 2017 as Head Football Coach at Montana State University-Northern after spending nearly the past decade coaching at both the FBS and FCS levels. He has served as an assistant at San Jose State University, the University of Washington, and the University of San Diego.
In the Spring of 2021, the Lights showed great improvement in the shortened season. Six players were named 1st or 2nd Team All-Conference and Sophomore linebacker Dylan Wampler was voted Honorable Mention All-American. They look to build off this momentum heading into the Fall 2021 season.
In 2019, the Lights showed great momentum as a program especially in the latter half of the season. Offensively, Northern Football was 3rd overall in the Frontier Conference in Passing Offense with 222 ypg. Freshman QB Brenden Medina threw for 2,116 yds in 9 games as a starter. Junior WR Marvin Williams was also 4th Overall in Receiving Touchdowns. Defensively, Freshman Hunter Riley was tied for 1st in the conference for interceptions (4).
In 2018, the Lights showed much improvement throughout the season, especially offensively. Northern was 4th in the Frontier Conference in Total Pass Offense, as Senior QB Tommy Wilson was 6th individually in Total Offense. Most notably, Junior WR Bryce Bumgardner was 3rd in Total Receptions and 4th in Receiving Yards within the conference. The Lights were also able to raise their Team GPA from 1.99 to 2.86 in Rolin’s first season.
In 2016, Rolin served as the Wide Receivers Coach/Recruiting Coordinator at San Jose State where his wide receivers earned the best Yards Per Catch Average at SJSU since 2004 (14.0). In that time, he coached Tim Crawley who now ranks 5th in SJSU history in Career Receptions (151). Crawley was also a 2016 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award winner, William V. Campbell Trophy finalist and Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar National Semifinalist. Three of Rolin’s wide receivers earned single bests in receptions (Tim Crawley {55}, Justin Holmes {39}, Tre Hartley {33}).
From 2013-2015, Rolin served as the Running Backs coach at San Jose State where he coached second-team All-American all-purpose player and first-team All-Mountain West running back Tyler Ervin. Ervin would set a single-season school rushing record of 1,601 yards (2015). Ervin finished 11th nationally in rushing yards per game and would be the Houston Texans’ fourth round draft choice in the 2016 NFL Draft. Tyler Ervin is also the SJSU record holder for most Career All-Purpose yds. (6,146), and holds the single-game rushing record at San Jose State with 300 yds. against Fresno State in 2015.
In 2014, Ervin averaged 148.42 All-Purpose yds. per game and was voted by SI.com as an Honorable Mention All-American. Ervin was also one of four FBS players to rush for two 80 plus yd. touchdowns, and had 305 All-Purpose yds. against Colorado State (ranked 11th in FBS and 2nd in the Mountain West in 2014).
In Rolin’s first season at San Jose State, the Spartans set single season school records for total offense yardage (5,919) and average yards per game (493.2). San Jose State was 15th nationally in total offense with its most diversified and effective ground game since 2006. By season's end, five players started at least one game as a running back with four freshmen handling the bulk of the load.
Redshirt freshman Jarrod Lawson, the team's leading rusher despite only rushing 10 times in the first four games, was named a CollegeFootballNews.com honorable mention Freshman All-American. Lawson's 788 rushing yards were a San Jose State freshman single season record and eighth best among all 2013 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) freshmen. Lawson and two more freshmen Thomas Tucker, a converted defensive back, and Tim Crawley, capable of playing either running back or wide receiver, became the first trio of San Jose State running backs with 20 or more receptions each in a season since 1979.
Rolin came to the Spartans after spending 2012 as a graduate assistant at the University of Washington. He worked with the offensive coaching staff, primarily with a tight ends group that featured John Mackey Award finalist Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Rolin also helped guide a running backs crew that included Bishop Sankey, who ranked fourth nationally in rushing in 2013 with 1,870 yards and 20 TDs.
The 2009 University of San Diego graduate majored in business administration. He began his coaching career that same year at his alma mater. Rolin coached the team's running backs for three seasons. In that time, three Torero running backs received All-Pioneer League post-season honors, including Kenn James who was ranked 2nd nationally (FCS) in All-Purpose yds. in 2011.
As a player, the Rancho Cordova, Calif. native was a quarterback on the 2005 through 2008 USD teams that won three conference championships and had a 40-6 win-loss record. In that time he played for both Head Coaches Jim Harbaugh and Ron Caragher.
In 2017, Rolin served as the Offensive Coordinator at Libby HS in Libby, MT.
He and his wife, Jessica, a two-time All-West Coast Conference volleyball setter and former Athletic Performance Coach at Stanford University, reside in Havre, MT. The Rolin’s have two children: daughter Payton and son Bo William.
