Josh Breske is in his third season on the Lindenwood football coaching staff in 2019. He is the team’s offensive line coach, and also serves as the team’s recruiting coordinator.
In 2018, the Lindenwood offense rushed for 160.6 yards and threw for 229.0 yards per game. Breske helped mold an offensive line that aided the production of 602 yards of offense against Emporia State. The Lions pounded the ball on the ground and rushed for 294 yards against the Hornets, earning their first win over Emporia State in program history.
Breske played a key role in the success of second-team All-MIAA lineman, Lucas Beddow. In his senior season, Beddow played multiple positions on the line. Beddow protected honorable-mention All-MIAA quarterback Cade Brister, and helped spring free the second-longest rush in school history which went for 87 yards. The Lindenwood offense ranked in the top-25 in the nation with an 85.7 percent success rate in the red zone.
In his first season at Lindenwood, he oversaw a new look offensive line that helped the team have its highest scoring offense since the 2012 season. The offensive line helped the Lions rushing game average 4.4 yards per carry, the seventh-best mark in the MIAA and an improvement of nearly 16 percent over the previous season. Lindenwood also cut its number of sacks allowed by 33 percent over the 2016 season.
Breske helped three offensive linemen earn All-MIAA honors. Akil Williams was a third-team selection, and Evan Pumphrey and Lucas Beddow each earned honorable mention accolades.
Breske has also overseen the last two recruiting classes for the program, which has helped reshape the program. In 2018, Lindenwood had its largest incoming class since its move to the NCAA level.
Breske came to Lindenwood after three seasons at the University of Sioux Falls. In 2016, he was the program’s offensive line coach, after being the tight ends coach for his first two seasons.
In his three seasons at Sioux Falls, Breske has helped the Cougars go 32-5. The team advanced to the postseason all three years, including NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016. The 2016 team won the NSIC Championship, and also captured the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory. From 2014-2016, Sioux Falls averaged 40.3 points and 489.6 yards of total offense a game.
In his first year as the offensive line coach, Sioux Falls ranked third in NCAA Division II with 308.1 rushing yards a game, and it ranked eight by allowing just 0.85 sacks a contest. The offensive line production helped the Cougars rank 17th in the nation in scoring offense and seventh in total offense.
Five Sioux Falls offensive lineman were all-conference selections in 2016, including two on the first-team and two on the second-team. Antonio Green was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award as NCAA Division II’s top lineman.
In 2015, Breske helped tight end Nicholas Stanke earned All-NSIC second-team honors. Stanke caught 25 passes that year for 221 yards and two touchdowns.
Breske got his coaching career started as a graduate assistant coach at Robert Morris University (Ill.) where he was the offensive line coach, and also assisted with strength and conditioning. From 2012-2013, Breske coached at Chadron State where he was the offensive line coach. He helped offensive tackle Garret Gilkey get drafted in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns.
Prior to coaching, Breske was a four-year starter at Black Hills State University. He played in all 46 games during the 2006-2009 seasons. He earned two NAIA All-American honors and was a third-team first-team all-conference pick. He was a two-year captain and helped lead the Yellow Jackets to consecutive conference titles. Breske also played indoor football for one season with the Wyoming Cavalry.
Breske holds a master’s of business administration degree from Chadron State, and earned his bachelor’s degree from Black Hills State.
Josh, and his wife Alana, have a daughter, Lola, and a son, Bo.
