Carleton College Football

Tom Journell was hired as head football coach on April 23, 2018. The Knights had gone 2-28 in the three years prior to his arrival but have put together a 21-19 ledger since then, including Carleton's first back-to-back 7-win seasons (2021 and 2022) since 1988-89. He is the 18th head coach in the 116-year history of Carleton football and brought with him 32 years of coaching experience, including two previous stops as a head coach. He guided the UW-Stevens Point (UWSP) program during the 2012-2017 seasons and was at the helm of the Elmhurst College program for the 2004-2007 campaigns. Journell owned a 29-31 overall record in his six years at UWSP as the Pointers played in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). In his final season there, the WIAC featured five teams ranked among the nation's top-25 squads. His 2016 squad went 6-4, with three of those losses coming against top-10 foes. In 2014, UW-Stevens Point ranked as high as No. 13 in the country as the Pointers opened the season with five consecutive wins, including a victory over No. 5 North Central (Ill.). Journell was defensive coordinator at UWSP for four seasons beginning in 2008, helping lead the team to a 19-9 record in WIAC play and a 27-14 overall mark. During his tenure, the Pointers' defense finished among the league leaders in almost every statistical category. In 2008, UWSP finished the season 9-2 overall and earned the program's first NCAA Championships appearance since 2001. That season, J

Alex Balogh joined the Carleton football coach staff in March 2024, taking over duties as the Knights’ offensive coordinator. He spent the previous two seasons as

Matt Norstad was added to the coaching staff before the 2023 season. A linebacker at UW-River Falls from 1997-2000, he previously served as an assistant coach at Cannon Falls (Minn.) High School.

Sam Kent joined the Knights in June 2019 as defensive coordinator, bringing with him more than a decade of experience coaching at the NCAA Division III level. He came to Carleton from Elmhurst College where he served as strength & conditioning coordinator and linebackers coach during the 2018 season. Kent spent the previous two seasons at UW-Stevens Point as defensive line coach and run game coordinator in addition to holding strength & conditioning coordinator duties for the athletic department. A 2008 graduate of Manchester University, Kent was a four-time All-HCAC performer on the gridiron. He received his Master's Degree in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention from California University of Pennsylvania in 2011. After a two-year stint as defensive line coach and film coordinator for MacMurray College, he returned to his alma mater and spent six seasons as Manchester's defensive line coach and strength & conditioning coordinator. He and his wife Lisa reside in the area.

Assistant Coach Scott Van Epps (Defensive Linemen) Recruiting areas:  Minnesota Scott Van Epps was hired onto the Carleton staff in June 2018. He is a graduate