When Chase Vogler got the call to return to his alma mater to be the new offensive coordinator, he knew it was time to pounce.

“I have [had other job offers] over the last five years,” Vogler said. “Some have been good offers that have been hard to pass on and some that just were not for me. When I got this offer it was a pretty easy decision for me.”

Vogler’s collegiate career began in 2009 when he was named starting quarterback as a true freshman. Vogler would go on to win NSIC conference titles in all four years of his college career, including a national championship in 2010. In addition, Vogler was also an all-conference selection three times and a two-time All-American.

The Inver Grove Heights native would finish his UMD career as the winningest quarterback (46-6) in program history. He also holds the programs’ highest completion percentage of 63.2 percent. Vogler’s 10,486 total yards are the second most in program history, while his 7, 583 passing yards are third and his 2,903 rushing yards are the most by any quarterback in UMD’s history.

After graduating with a B.A. in criminology in 2013, Vogler spent the summer in Germany coaching the Bielefeld Bulldogs as their offensive coordinator before returning to Duluth. He spent the season as a volunteer assistant coach in the defensive secondary. Vogler also had a brief stint with his former collegiate coach, Bob Nielson, at Western Illinois University as a graduate assistant.

Vogler has spent the last five years with the University of Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils, and the last three as their offensive coordinator. The Blue Devil offense enjoyed a breakout 2018 season where they had nearly 1,000 more total yards the 2017 season, in just one more game played.

Vogler said that it was a comfortable decision because of head coach Curt Wiese. Wiese was Vogler’s offensive coordinator when he was quarterback and the two have stayed in contact over the past five years.

“Coach Wiese is the reason I got into coaching,” Vogler said. “The enjoyment I had in his office for four years and being around football and how he teaches football is enjoyable for me. [Coach Wiese] got me into that mindset of ‘Hey I think coaching college football is something I want to do.’”

Vogler doesn’t think that there’s a lot of pressure to take over one of the best offenses in the nation. Vogler appreciates the culture Coach Wiese has built around the offense and does not want to change the overall foundation.

"For me, it was an easy decision to have Chase lead our offense,” head coach Wiese said in a statement on UMD's website. “We are fortunate to have an opportunity to bring someone on board like Chase, who has the experience, a passion for UMD athletics and the knowledge of our campus and community.”

That only made Vogler more comfortable to sign with UMD because he’s coming back to a place he knows and is familiar with.

“Ten years ago I signed a letter of intent to come play here,” Vogler said. “Back then I thought it was special and now as an alumni it’s cool to get [back] to your alma mater.”