Augie's Jerry Olszewski on consistent success, staff changes, QB battle, recruiting in NIL world

Recruiting, talent, coaching, culture — Augustana's Jerry Olszweski has inarguably mastered that mix in his first 12 seasons. The Vikings are building on seven consecutive winning seasons, won back-to-back NSIC titles in 2023 and '24, and won their first nine games before finishing 9-2 last season.   How have they done it? What is in place in '26 to keep the Vikings rolling? It starts at the top and "Coach OJ" walks us through it.    This includes a glimpse into the new faces on the coaching staff and elevations of two long-tenured defensive assistants to co-defensive coordinator roles to replace Mark Sipple, who took the DC job at FCS Drake. Then, there's the quarterback battle between two talented and now proven gunslingers in Gunnar Hensley and Rich Lucergo, Jr.   But a bulk of the discussion lies in the things Olszewski does to keep and raise the bar — decisions like having two co-coordinators instead of one, why he acts as a true "CEO" style head coach instead of calling plays and leading the offense or defense, his approach to recruiting (how much more time is spent on transfer targets than a few years ago?), and how Augie deals with whatever twists come in Div. II with NIL and transfer temptations from Div. I schools for his best performers.   Plus, get inside the headset. How does an 18-year head coach make the biggest decisions — punt or go for it, kick a field goal or go for it, go for the tie or for the win — during the heat of a pressure-packed game?   As always, OJ leaves the listener feeling better about life and football when the conversation is over, whether that listener is an Augie fan or not.