Ryan Schlichte was hired as the Minnesota State football offensive coordinator on March 19, 2024 and is in his first season in fall of 2024. Schlichte also coaches quarterbacks and recruit the Minnesota area and be the point person for Maverick football alumni relationships and fundraising.Â
During the 2024 season, Minnesota State captured the Super Region Four Championship. The Mavericks placed multiple players on the All-NSIC First Team Offense, including running back Sam Backer, wide receiver TreShawn Watson, and offensive lineman Marshall Foerner. Tight end Gabe Hagen, offensive lineman Zach Roggow, offensive lineman Deontae Veney, and offensive lineman Nathan Gribble, earned All-NSIC Second Team honors. Foerner was named All-Super Region Four selection along with AFCA and Don Hansen All American. Gabe Hagen also earned AP All American honors while Backer was recognized for NSIC Offensive Player of the Year as well as Newcomer of the year. Senior quarterback Hayden Ekern finished 9th in the country in passing yards and 4th in total points responsible for.
2025 NSIC South Division Champions helped produce four All-NSIC First Team offensive selections, including quarterback Maximus Sims, running back Sam Backer, wide receiver TreShawn Watson and offensive lineman Nathan Gribble.
Sophomore Offensive Lineman Keats Dyslin, senior wide receiver Grant Guyett and sophomore quarterback Mitchell Thompson garnered All-NSIC Second Team Offense honors. Nathan Gribble was named D2CCA All-Super Region Three First Team, D2CCA All-Central Region First Team, and Don Hansen All-American Honorable Mention honors. Tre Watson was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 team. Running back, Sam Backer finished the 2025 season 4th in the country in rushing TDs. Schlichte's offensive on the season combined to lead the NSIC in total yards and points while finishing the year 1st in the country in Redzone offense at 98%.
Hailing from Mankato, Minn., Schlichte has spent three seasons on the Northern State football coaching staff. He joined the Wolves coaching staff as the wide receivers coach in January 2020, before transitioning to the quarterbacks coach in June of 2020. As the quarterbacks coach, Schlichte worked with six quarterbacks, including Hunter Trautman who recorded school records in total offense, passing yards and touchdown passes. He also assisted with offensive game planning.
In January of 2022, Schlichte was elevated to Northern State's offensive coordinator. He was responsible for all offensive game planning and play calling. In 2022, NSU finished fourth in the NSIC in passing offense and fourth in third down conversions. In 2023, the Wolves would again finish near the top of the NSIC in passing offense (3rd) and third down conversions.
As the offensive coordinator, Schlichte coached four All-NSIC honorees and two All-Americans in Dewaylon Ingram and Dakota Larson.
Prior to joining Northern State, Schlichte was a four-year letterwinner and a three-year starting quarterback with the Minnesota State football team. He played in 50 games, while making 40 starts, as he helped the Mavericks reach the NCAA three times in 2017, 2018 and 2019. MSU won a pair of NCAA Super Region 4 Championships in 2018 and 2019 and advanced to the NCAA Championship game in 2019.
For his career, Schlichte ranks third all-time at MSU in career touchdown passes (66), fifth in passing yards (5,958), sixth in passing completions (392) and seventh in passing attempts (715). During his sophomore season in 2017, he threw 25 touchdown passes which are the third most in a season in team history.
Schlichte earned his bachelor's degree in Social Studies Education at Minnesota State in 2019. He would later earn his master's degree in educational studies at Northern State in 2021, boasting a 4.0 GPA. As a Maverick, he was named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence three times. He also received the NCAA Elite 90 award in 2019 which is awarded to the student-athlete who has the highest GPA competing in the NCAA Championship game.
