The UW-La Crosse has announced three finalists to fill it’s vacant head football coaching position, after Matt Janus left in January to take the head coaching position at Division II Northern Michigan University. A UW-L committee announced Monday the finalists include two current UW-L coordinators and a high-ranking assistant from UW-Platteville. The candidates are: Daniel Bauder, defensive coordinator at UW-Platteville Tarek Yaeggi, offensive coordinator at UW-La Crosse Michael Zweifel, defensive/special teams coordinator at UW-La Crosse Daniel Bauder Bauder has led the UW-Platteville defense since 2018, winning an outright WIAC title in 2024 and making it to back-to-back NCAA Division III playoff appearances. In 2025, Bauder’s defense ranked second in the WIAC in scoring defense (18.9 points per game). He previously coached at Augustana College and Wittenberg University. Tarek Yaeggi Yaeggi is a familiar name to Eagles fans, having just completed his first season as UW-L’s offensive coordinator. A former standout quarterback for the Eagles (2016-17), Yaeggi holds several school-passing records. Before returning to his alma mater, he served as the offensive coordinator at UW-Stout, where his units consistently ranked near the top of the WIAC in total offense and passing. Michael Zweifel Zweifel has spent the last four seasons as a UW-L assistant, coordinating a defense and special teams unit that helped the Eagles to two conference titles and four straight playoff berths. Zweifel is also one of the most decorated players in Division III history — winning the 2011 Gagliardi Trophy. He also holds the all-division NCAA record for career receptions (463). The university will host a series of open forums in Centennial Hall to allow the public and campus community to meet the candidates: Yaeggi: Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 3:45 p.m. (Room 1400) Bauder: Thursday, Feb. 5 at 2:45 p.m. (Room 1309) Zweifel: Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 2:45 p.m. (Room 1309) The new coach will take over a program that has become a national powerhouse in recent years, coming off five consecutive playoff appearances under Janus. TOP PHOTO: FILE – Fans pack the stands at Veterans Memorial Field (PHOTO: James Garvey, UW-L Athletics) ...read more read less