Adrian College Men's Football

Career Record at Adrian 6-4 Conference Record 3-4 MIAA Championships 0 All-MIAA Selections 4 D3football All-Region Selections 1 Joe Palka was named head coach of the Adrian College football program in November of 2023. Palka will serve as the 24th head coach of the program since 1900. The 2025 season will mark his second with the Bulldogs. In 2024, Palka led the Bulldogs back to a winning record, as Adrian finished the season with an impressive 6-4 overall record. Palka and his staff also led the team to a 3-4 conference record.   Palka comes to Adrian College from Saline High School where he served as head coach of the football team since 2012. During his time at Saline, Palka totaled a career record of 112-21 with 11 consecutive postseason appearances and 18 playoff victories. Palka led the team to ten conference championships including a 58-game conference winning streak. Palka has acquired six District Titles, two Regional Titles, two Semifinal appearances, and was the 2014 State Runner-Up. Saline was ranked in the AP Division 1 Top-10 Rankings final poll in 10 of the last 12 seasons.   While, at Saline, Palka was named the 2021 SEC Coach of the Year, and the 2012 and 2014 Ann Arbor News Coach of the Year. In 2012 he went on to win his first MHSFCA Regional Coach of the Year Award before becoming a repeated winner in 2016, 2018, and 2020. In 2018, Palka was named the recipient of the Detroit News Metro Coach of the Year Award.   Prior to Saline High School, Palka coached at Whitmer High School in Toledo, Ohio. From 2006-2012, he totaled a 59-17 record with six consecutive playoff appearances. The team was ranked in the AP Division 1 Top-10 rankings in four seasons and was ranked in the 2011 USA Today Super 25 Ranking all season long. He was named a four-time winner of the National Football Foundation Coach of the Year Award and was a two-time recipient of the Toledo City League Coach of the Year Award.   From 2004-2006, Palka served as the Recruiting Coordinator at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) where he was also the Secondary Coach and Special Teams Co-coordinator. At EMU, he coached three cornerbacks to the NFL including Chris Roberson, Geoff Pope, and Jeremy Perry. Palka's other collegiate coaching experience comes from St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana where he was the head coach and defensive coordinator from 1994-1996.   Prior to his coaching, Palka was a three-year starting linebacker at Eastern Michigan after walking on to the team. He was a two-time MAC All-Academic Team Selection and a member of the Dean's List. *Updated as of July 2, 2025*  

Reim was named the Pass Game Coordinator in Spring of 2025, and was a part of an offensive staff that helped produce the most explosive offensive in Adrian College history. The 2025 Bulldog offense was 1st nationally in turnover margin, 2nd nationally in completion percentage (74.1%), 15th nationally in Total Offense, 18th nationally in passing efficiency, 25th nationally in first downs and 25th nationally in Passing Offense, all while averaging 40.7 points per game and winning 8 or more games for the first time since 2014.    This version of the bulldogs also broke several school records on the offensive side of the ball including Touchdowns in a season (56), Points scored in a season (407), Passing yards in a season (2,802) and completions in a season (247). While not breaking the record, the 2025 offense came close to the school record in several other categories including, 461.9 yards per game (2nd most in a season), 309 attempts in a season (2nd most in a season), and passing touchdowns in a season (24)(2nd most in a season).    In his two seasons as Tight Ends coach, Reim mentored Ryan Brumley who finished his career at the conclusion of the 2025 season. In his two seasons as the Bulldogs starting Tight End Brumley caught 51 passes for 591 yards and 5 Touchdowns over the span of 20 starts.    Reim also coached starting Running Back Trey Brueggemann who accounted for 538 Rush yards, 239 reception yards, and 11 total Touchdowns during the 2025 season.    Reim comes to Adrian College after serving as the Quarterbacks coach at Western New Mexico University in 2023. He coached Quarterback Devin Larson who was honorable mention all Lone Star Conference despite only playing in six games.   Before his time as WNMU, he spent a year as the Tight End’s coach at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was a student assistant for the Golden Knights in 2020 and 2021 where he assisted with the Quarterbacks. He played Quarterback for Gannon in 2019. Reim assisted in coaching 2022 first team all-conference Quarterback Kory Curtis in 2021, and second team all-conference Tight End Alex Whittaker in 2022.   He graduated from Gannon University in May of 2022, where he received his bachelor’s degree in marketing and Sports Management. He is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania.   The 2026 season will be his third with the AC Football team. *Updated as of February 3, 2026*  

Al Leslie has coached Football for 35 seasons, 30 of them with Saline High School.  The past eight seasons, serving as the Special Teams Coordinator for Saline HS under Coach Palka. He had in excess of 45 All League players and eight 1st team All State Defensive Lineman and multiple players continue on to play college football including six Kickers/Punters/Long Snappers that played Div 1 football including one that is currently snapping for the San Fransisco 49ers. He has been selected twice as the Michigan Assistant Coach of the year (‘07 & ’17) by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.  Al also coached track and field at Saline HS for 25 seasons and was the head coach for 17 of those seasons. During his tenure the program won two state team titles and had nine teams win a National Champion in various relays. He helped coach over 40 All-American and 150 All-State athletes. He was the USTFCCA Michigan Coach of the Year in 2015 and the National High School Track and Field Coach of the year selected by USA Today in 2018. Al played football at Fowlerville High School. After leaving high school, he served 4+ years as a United States Marine and played base football at Camp Pendleton, California for 3 seasons. Upon leaving the service he enrolled at Michigan State University and completed his bachelors of arts degree as a teacher. The 2025 season will be Leslie's second with he Adrian College Football team. *Updated as of July 3, 2025*

*Updated as of July 3, 2025*

Alex Knollman returns to Adrian College for his seventh overall season with the football team in 2025. He now serves as Offensive Line Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Bulldogs. From 2020-2025 Knollman has led an offensive line unit that has been awarded eight All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association honors, three All-Region honors, and one D3football.com All-American. Before returning to Adrian College in 2020, Knollman served as a Graduate Assistant on the offensive side of the ball for Tiffin University, DII school in Ohio. During that season the Dragon offense was #1 in the conference in total offense, as well as scoring. The 2019 season culminated into a GMAC Championship for TU. Knollman served as the running backs coach for the Bulldogs for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, coming over from Central Michigan University. In his first season at Adrian, Knollman helped College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® VI Football First Team winner David Nutter rush for a career-best 925 yards on 2017. Along with three-time All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association choice and school career rushing yards leader Emmanuel Stewart, Adrian was 17th in NCAA rushing offense at 247.5 yards per game. With the Chippewas football program, Knollman was the recruiting and operations assistant from May 2016-January 2017. In this role he worked directly with the Director of Player Personnel to carry out specific recruiting tasks; monitored recruiting activity throughout the country and maintained CMU’s recruiting database on Jump Forward/XOS Scout; assisted with the execution of official and unofficial visits; helped facilitate summer camps administration; played a part in day-to-day team operations; and aided in the coordination of team travel and bowl game preparations. He graduated in 2016 from CMU with a bachelor of applied arts degree, majoring in sport management. Knollman played prep football at Bedford in Temperance, Mich. He played on the offensive line and long snapper from 2008 to 2011, and helped the team to a regional championship in 2010 and district crown a season later. *Updated as of March 5, 2026*  

Coach Malik Edwards joins the Adrian College football coaching prior to the spring season of 2024. Edwards is a seasoned football coach and player with a history in the game. He has passion for developing both players and teams.    Edwards was a four-year varsity football starter for the Siena Heights University Saints, who demonstrated commitment, leadership, and skill on and off the field. He proudly served as team captain for three years and has shown off his values of teamwork and perseverance.    During his coaching journey, he has shown skills and contribution to the development of aspiring athletes. At Siena Heights, Edwards served as the Assistant Football Coach from 2018-2020, focusing on the defensive line. Responsibilities included instilling fundamentals, position-specific skills, and techniques. Edwards analyzed game film, tracked weekly stats, and charted tendencies of opposing offensive lines, pass protections, and top concepts.    Edwards in the past also coached at Permian High School and Lansing Everett High School where he provided assistance on defense.    Coach Edwards will bring a detail-oriented approach to coaching, emphasizing not only the physical aspect of the game but also the mental and strategic components. The philosophy that he brings revolves around fostering a culture of excellence, discipline, and continuous improvement. Edwards enters his second season with the team in 2025. *Updated as of July 3, 2025*

Tyler Palka joined the Adrian College football staff as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in the winter of 2023. The 2025 season will be his second with the team.    2025 proved to be a record-breaking year offensively, becoming statistically the best offense in school history in Palka's second year. The Bulldogs finished 15th nationally in total offense (461.9 YPG), second nationally in completion percentage (74%), 25th nationally in first downs, and 23rd in scoring offense (40.7 PPG) by finishing with a school record 56 total touchdowns. The team finished first in the country in turnover margin. The 2025 Bulldog offense broke school records by setting new marks for completion percentage (74.8), passing yards in a season (2,802), rushing touchdowns in a season (30), completions in a season (247), player receptions in a season (92), passing yards per game (280.2), total points scored (407), season touchdowns (56), pass yards in a game (436) among the most impressive records broken. The 2025 record breaking offense was Highlighted by five all MIAA conference offensive selections; Noah Beaudrie (QB), Braiden Whitaker (WR), Ethan Abberger (WR), Joe Pruchnic (OG), and Isaiah Simon (C). Joe Pruchnic finished as a first team all region, and second team All American offensive lineman. Noah Beaudrie and Ethan Abberger both finished with all region honors as well.   In his first season as offensive coordinator (2024), the offense set the school record for team completions in a season (209). Quarterback Jacob Kelbert broke the record for completions in a game (39), as well as the record for career completion percentage for a Quarterback (64.9%). Adrian’s prolific passing offense also allowed wide receiver Jalen Wallace to tie the school record for receptions in a season (78). The offense improved substantially from the previous year in virtually every offensive category highlighted by nearly doubling the total touchdowns scored in a season (24 touchdowns in 2023 compared to 40 touchdowns in 2024). The offense finished within the top three in the MIAA in multiple categories statistically including; red zone scoring, time of possession, completion percentage, and sacks allowed (46th nationally). Adrian’s offense had two athletes voted to the MIAA all league teams following the season.   Palka's coaching career began at Gannon University for a short stint before his professional playing career. From there, he went on to become the Passing Game Coordinator at Saline High School from 2018-2021 and the Offensive Coordinator from 2022 -2023 where the program won three conference championships and one district championship while compiling a 44-10 record during the span. During his time at Saline, Palka coached five All-State players on offense. Palka coached and helped develop CJ Carr, a four-year starter for the Hornets, Four Star ranked quarterback who committed to Notre Dame University.   Palka played college football at Saginaw Valley State University during his freshman and sophomore season before transferring to Gannon University for his final two seasons. At Saginaw Valley, Palka appeared in 15 games making six starts at quarterback where he totaled 843 yards passing with six touchdowns. After transferring to Gannon, Palka played quarterback as a junior before transitioning to wide receiver for his final season. His senior year, he totaled 1,121 all purpose yards with 11 touchdowns and 50 receptions. He was named to the PSAC All-Conference Team while also becoming a two-time All Scholar Athlete.   After his senior season, the Pittsburgh Steelers caught wind of Palka and invited him to rookie camp in 2018. In 2019, he signed a CFL contract with the Ottawa Redblacks before moving to the Arena Football League where he played for the Columbus Destroyers. In 2020, Palka was drafted to the XFL by Pep Hamilton and the DC Defenders where he was active for three out of the five games before the league was put on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Palka served as a wide receiver and had a role on special teams. From there, Palka played in the Spring League for Kevin Gilbride during the 2021 season before being drafted to the USFL by the Houston Gamblers where he played the 2022-23 season for head coach, Kevin Sumlin. During his time in the USFL, Palka played in 13 games where he caught 19 passes for 200 yards, and played a large role on special teams. *Updated as of Janaury 9, 2026*  

The Adrian College football office announced the addition of Ron Shiels in the winter of 2023. Shiels will serve as the new Defensive Coordinator. Shiels returns to the team after serving as an assistant coach from 2004-09. Shiels moves across town as he spent four seasons serving as the defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach with Siena Heights. The 2025 season will mark his eighth with the Adrian College Bulldogs. Coach Shiels was a 2004 graduate of Adrian College where he was a four-year starter on the football team as a defensive back and strong safety.  During his time in college, he was All-MIAA three times, was named team captain, and All-Region selection, and an All-American selection. During his first coaching stint at Adrian, the Bulldogs had the fourth ranked offense in Division III during the 2007 season, a top-20 defense in 2008, and the sixth ranked defense in 2009. Shiels went on to coach at Siena Heights the next season as defensive coordinator where he specialized with the defensive backs. During the 2010 season, the Saints finished 9-1 and allowed less than 10 points per game. From there, he went on to Saline High School from 2012-2016 where he assisted in a combined record of 41-7. The defense ranked first in Michigan D1 High School football and was 15th in the country while only allowing 12 points per game. He coached six MHSAA All-State Players, one MHSAA Dream Team Player and three players who went on to play Division I college football. The bulk on Coach Shiels' accomplishments came in his most recent coaching stint with Siena Heights were he was the defensive coordinator since 2017. In his first season the team ranked 22nd in the NAIA in points allowed per game, 16th in yards allowed per game, and 11th in pass defense. In 2018, the defense led the Saints to a top-25 ranking to end the season before the second best defense in the NAIA allowing 14.1 points per game. In 2019, the team finished the year ranked 20th behind the fourth ranked defense, which quickly turned into the top ranked defense in NAIA after allowing just 8.5 points per game. In his final season with Siena Heights, the team finished as the sixth ranked defense while forcing 23 turnovers during the year. He coached four All-Americans, two league MVP's, and the Mid-States Player of the Year in addition to multiple All-Conference selections. Shiels resides in Adrian, Michigan. *Updated as of July 1, 2025*  

Chad O’Brien '04 is back with the Adrian College football program for his seventh season in 2025. O’Brien previously served as associate head coach and the team’s defensive coordinator in 2014 after a one-year stint as offensive coordinator in 2013. The offense ranked second in rushing (167.5ypg) among MIAA schools and had 12 touchdowns on the ground that season. O’Brien served as the inside linebackers and special teams coach in 2012. The Bulldogs had a pair of standout inside linebackers in Deontae Bridgeman and Hunter Juntunen. Bridgeman was named First Team All-MIAA and Juntunen received Second Team All-MIAA honors. On the special teams side, Adrian led the MIAA in net punting and were 23rd in NCAA Division III (35.02 yards). O’Brien is now in his third stint as an assistant coach for the Adrian College football team. He spent time as the special teams coordinator at Adrian College from 2003 to 2005 and also coached the linebackers and was the junior varsity defensive coordinator during that time. He was a letter winner for the Bulldog football team and served as defensive captain and team defensive MVP in 2002. O’Brien finished his career with 194 tackles including a team-high 94tackles during the 2001 season. He had two interceptions and six tackles for loss in 2001. O’Brien has vast experience as a football and wrestling coach at the high school level. He was the defensive coordinator at Adrian High School during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Prior to that, he was the head coach and offensive coordinator at Mariner High School in Cape Coral, Florida from 2007 to August 2010. He also served as a teacher at both schools. He was selected to coach in the Lee County All-Star Game at Mariner from 2006 to 2009 and also helped guide the Maples of Adrian High to a Division III district championship in 2011. O’Brien is a 2004 graduate of Adrian College with a bachelor of arts degree and an emphasis in history and a minor in communication arts. He resides in Adrian with his wife, Amy (Thompson), and their children - Ashlynn and Allston. *Updated as of July 1, 2025*  

Coach Jeb Palka joined the Adrian College football coaching staff in the winter of 2023. Jeb comes from Saline High School where he served as the Wide Receivers Coach. The 2025 season will be Jeb's second with the AC Football squad. Jeb is a graduate of Concordia University-Ann Arbor where he was a member of the football team. He served as the team's starting slot receiver and punt returner. During his time at Concordia-Ann Arbor, Palka was a member of the program's first undefeated season in 2020. The team went on to win back-to-back MSFA Mideast Championships and appeared in back-to-back Elite Eight playoff appearances. He was named an Academic All-Conference honoree and named to the NAIA All-Scholar Team. Prior to Concordia-Ann Arbor, Palka played at Walsh University where he was a starting receiver and punt returner. At Walsh, Jeb was named an Academic All-America. Palka graduated from Saline High School before attending college where he was a three-time All-Conference Selection in the SEC, a two-time All-Region selection, and a two-time First Team All-State honoree. He holds the Saline High School record for career catches, career receiving yards, and catches in a single game. Palka will serve as the Wide Receivers Coach for the Adrian College football program. *Updated as of July 1, 2025*