Ryan Schlichte begins his second season as the offensive coordinator in the fall of 2023 and fourth overall with the program. Schlichte spent the previous two seasons leading the Wolves quarterbacks as a graduate assistant.
In 2022, the Wolves went 6-5 overall and 3-3 in the North Division. Northern tallied their first NFCA Top-25 victory in the Schmidt-era with a 23-22 win over No. 24 Minnesota State, Schlichte's alma mater. It was the first win over the Mavericks in over 50 years.Wide receiver Ben Noland broke the single game school record for average yards per catch (43.7). In addition, offensive linemen Jacob Howard and Jacob Schloe were named to the NSIC All-Conference second team.
In 2021, Schlichte coached the Wolves passing crew to the seventh ranked offense at the NCAA Division II level. The Wolves averaged 322.9 yards passing per game with 37 touchdowns. In addition, starting quarterback Hunter Trautman broke the Northern State school records for single season total offense, single season passing touchdowns, career total offense, and career passing touchdowns. Northern posted a 7-4 record from Dacotah Bank Stadium. NSU tallied their first win over USF in the Division II era and first win over Winona since 1999 (breaking a 14 game losing streak). In addition, it was the first time receiving votes in AFCA Top-25 Poll and first NCAA Regional Ranking in program history.
Schlichte was a 3-year starting quarterback at Minnesota State University, where the Mavericks won three straight NSIC Championships. He was a 3-time all-conference selection, 2017 and 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipient, and an Elite 90 award winner. Schlichte threw for 5,918 yards in his career with 66 touchdowns. He added 1,101 yards rushing and nine rushing scores. In 2019, he was voted a team captain for the Mavericks.
Schlichte is a 2019 graduate of Minnesota State with a bachelor's in Social Studies Education. He graduate with a master's degree in Educational Studies from NSU in December of 2021. Schlichte resides in Aberdeen with his wife Brooklyn.
