Montana Western, University of

Kyle Wantland enters his fifth season on the Bulldogs coaching staff and his first season serving as co-offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach in the fall of 2025.
 
During his first four seasons as an assistant coach, the Bulldogs have won three conference championships. First in 2021 and the next in 2023 and 2024. UMW has made three NAIA Football Championship appearances and was a host to three FCS playoff games. This past season saw the Bulldog offense break the total offense in a season record set in 2021 at 5,399 yards. They totaled 5,773 yards of offense this season and broke the record for passing yards in a season with a previous record set in 1994 at 3,535. They also broke the total points scored record that was set in 2021. They totaled 3,735 passing yards and totaled 498 points this season.

Wantland led Bulldog quarterback Michael Palandri to his most successful season thus far in 2024 after he was named AP All-American following another impressive season that saw him break three passing records and leading the Bulldog offense to break another three records. Palandri completed 68.26% of his passes this season, surpassing the previous record of 64.9% set by Jason Truman in 1995. He also broke Truman's single-season passing yards record from 1994, eclipsing the former mark of 3,503 yards with an impressive 3,670-yard total. Additionally, Palandri amassed 3,972 total offensive yards and threw 34 touchdown passes, shattering Truman's 1994 records of 3,758 total yards and 33 passing touchdowns.

As the receivers coach in 2023, Wantland coached AP First Team All-American receiver Eli Nourse. Nourse, a freshman wide receiver from Dillon, Mont., was on the top of all receiving categories for the Frontier Conference. He averaged 107.8 receiving yards per game, good for third in the NAIA. He also led the conference with 12 total touchdowns. He broke numerous records this season, including total receptions in a season (90), yards per punt return (20.9) and longest punt return for a touchdown (85 yards). Nourse was third in the NAIA for total receptions, fourth in total yards, and eighth in touchdowns. He was also named first team all-conference and earned conference special teams player of the week honors back on Oct. 30.

The year 2021 saw the Bulldogs finish with a share Frontier Conference Title and an overall conference record of 7-3. Wantland coached wide receiver Nate Simkins who was 3rd in the nation in receptions with 83 total and 4th in the nation for touchdowns with 16 total. Simkins was named all-conference and All-American. All three starting wide receivers for the Bulldogs were named all-conference. The Bulldog offense led the Frontier in every statistical category except turnovers.

Prior to Montana Western, Wantland has made stops at various schools, including: North Dakota State College of Science, Midwest Preparatory Academy, Grinnel College, German Football League (Allgaue Coments), Methodist University, St. Ambrose University, and Fisher High School.
 
From 2007-11, Wantland played at Monmouth College where he was a three-time all-conference wide receiver. The team went three straight seasons with perfect 10-0 records in the regular season and won three straight Midwest Conference titles.
 
A Fisher, Ill. native, Wantland earned his bachelor’s degree in History from Monmouth College in 2011.