Brandon Novak
Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs
Novak is in his 26th season as an assistant coach for the Johnnies in 2025. A 2001 graduate of SJU, Novak was named the MIAC Most Valuable Player as a linebacker in 1999 and a two-time, first-team All-America selection. He coached linebackers for 11 seasons but transitioned to the offensive side of the ball to coach running backs in 2012, only to return to the defensive side of the ball in 2013. Novak ended a 10-year tenure as the head wrestling coach at SJU following the 2013-14 season. On the mat, Novak won the national wrestling title at 197 pounds in March 2001 and was a three-time All-American. He was inducted into the Division III National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) Hall of Fame in March 2017. Novak and his wife, Heather, live in St. Joseph with their two sons, Sebastian and Maikol, and daughter, Luciana. - bgnovak@csbsju.edu
Kole Heckendorf
Offensive Coordinator/Receivers
Heckendorf is in his 13th season as an offensive assistant in 2025 and the eighth as the Johnnies’ offensive coordinator. SJU averaged 42.8 points and 475.8 yards of offense per game (148.0 rushing and 327.8 passing) in his first six seasons (73 games) as offensive coordinator (the Johnnies did not compete in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). SJU’s 512.9 yards per game and 371.4 passing yards per game in 2019 were program records. In 2002, Heckendorf set a pair of Wisconsin records with 116 receptions for 1,714 yards as a junior at Mosinee High School and ended his career as the state's all-time leader in receiving yards (3,831) and touchdowns (36). He was also second in career receptions (235). Heckendorf accepted a scholarship to FCS (formerly Division I-AA) North Dakota State and ended a four-year collegiate career (2005-08) as the all-time leader in catches (178) and receiving yards (2,732) for the Bison. He signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and later joined four other National Football League organizations: the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts. Kole and his wife, Kristen, son, Landon, and daughter, Hallie, reside in Sauk Rapids.
Damien Dumonceaux
Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach
Dumonceaux is in his 20th season on the defensive coaching staff in 2025 after serving as a three-year starter at nose tackle from 2003-05. A 2005 All-American, Dumonceaux received a pair of national awards, Football Gazette's Defensive Lineman of the Year and D3football.com's Defensive Player of the Year, and received the MIAC Mike Stam Award as the conference's top lineman. Dumonceaux and his wife, Patricia, have a son, Fischer, and live in St. Joseph. - ddumonceaux@csbsju.edu
Josh Bungum
Quarterbacks
Bungum is in his 10th season as an SJU assistant coach in 2025. A 2016 graduate of SJU, Bungum was named D3football.com All-American honorable mention in 2015 as a returner, where he was a two-time All-MIAC first-team selection. A three-time All-MIAC second-team selection as a receiver, Bungum ended his career second in school history in receptions (213) and fourth in receiving yards (2,676). He was the first Johnnie to lead the team in both catches and receiving yards all four seasons since Dave Arnold ’73 (1969-72). Following graduation, Bungum signed and played for the Cineplexx Blue Devils, a professional team in the Austrian Football League (AFL) and the Central European Football League (CEFL). He also serves as an assistant baseball coach for SJU in the spring. Bungum and his wife, Alicia, reside in St. Joseph.
Mike Magnuson
Offensive Line
Magnuson is in his 11th season as an assistant coach for SJU in 2025 and the eighth as the team’s offensive line coach. A 1990 graduate of SJU, Magnuson was a three-year starter at offensive tackle and a member of two NCAA playoff teams (1987 and 1989) and the 1989 MIAC championship squad. He was named to the All-MIAC second team as a senior in 1989 and coached the offensive line at Cretin-Derham Hall High School from 2010-15. Magnuson and his wife, Katie, have four children and live in the city of Sunfish Lake.
Ben Eli
Offensive Line
The 2025 season is Eli’s ninth as an assistant coach at SJU. A December 2016 graduate, Eli was an American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) All-America first-team selection in 2016. He was also named to the D3football.com All-West Region second-team and was an All-MIAC first-team selection in 2016. Eli transitioned from the defensive line to center in late August 2014 and started 35 consecutive games there. The Johnnies averaged over 200 yards rushing per game during those three consecutive seasons for the first time since the early, quadruple-option seasons of 1975-77.
Andy Auger
Volunteer Assistant (Defense)
Auger is in his seventh season as a volunteer assistant coach for SJU’s defense in 2025. A 1995 graduate of SJU, Auger played both baseball and football for the Johnnies and was a member of four MIAC-champion teams across the two sports. He served as head football coach at St. Cloud Cathedral for three seasons (2013-15) and assisted the Crusaders for another 10. Auger and his wife, Libby, have two children, Tommy ’19 and Katie, and reside in St. Joseph.
Alexi Johnson
Kickers
Johnson is in his eighth season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Johnnies in 2025. A 2017 graduate of SJU, Johnson was a four-year kicker for the Johnnies from 2013-16 and ended his career second in school history in both career field goals (27) and career PAT’s (190). He was a two-time All-MIAC first-team selection and was D3football.com All-West Region in 2014.
Max Jackson
Defensive Assistant/Diversity & Student Success
Jackson is in his fifth season as a defensive assistant, as well as the program’s diversity and student success officer, in 2025. A 2019 graduate and a two-sport star, Jackson was a two-time All-American safety for SJU. He ended his career as the Johnnies’ all-time leader in defensive touchdowns (4) and finished fifth in combined kick and punt return yards (1,188). Jackson also started 170 consecutive games in the outfield for the SJU baseball team, where he was a two-time All-MIAC honoree. He ended his baseball career as SJU's all-time leader in hits (209), games played (171), at-bats (628), runs scored (132), RBI (110) and stolen bases (52). Jackson was a five-time Academic All-MIAC honoree (three in baseball, two in football).
Collin Franz
Defensive Line
Franz is in his fourth season as an assistant coach for SJU in 2025. Franz started all 12 games in 2021 and posted a career-high 7.5 tackles for loss, an interception, fumble recovery and batted down five passes. He graduated in May 2021 but utilized his extra year of eligibility in 2021, while teaching Spanish full-time nearby in the Sartell-St. Stephen school district.
Tom Wicka
Volunteer Assistant (Linebackers)
Wicka is in his fourth season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Johnnies in 2025, working with linebackers. A 1990 graduate of SJU, Wicka was a three-year starter at linebacker and a member of two NCAA playoff teams (1987 and 1989) and the 1989 MIAC championship squad. Wicka was named All-MIAC twice (second team in 1988 and first team in 1989). He and his wife, Angie, live in Edina and have two children, Nash, who passed away in 2017, and their daughter, Coco.
Will Blakey
Running Backs
Blakey is in his first season as the Johnnies' running backs coach in 2025. A 2016 graduate of St. Paul Central High School, Blakey served six years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force. He transferred to SJU from Division I Portland State prior to the 2024 season and rushed for 446 yards and 10 touchdowns.
James Herberg
Defensive Backs/Recruiting
Herberg is in his first season as an assistant coach at SJU in 2025. He led Rocori High School to eight state tournament appearances - four as a defensive assistant (2009-17) and four more as head coach (2018-24), including Minnesota Class AAAA state championships in 2011 and 2019, and a state runner-up finish in 2023.
Isaiah Traufler
Tight Ends
Traufler is in his first season as an assistant coach at SJU in 2025. A 2024 graduate of Saint John’s, Traufler served as player personnel and a recruiting assistant at Division I (FBS) Wisconsin last fall before re-joining the Johnnies this season.
