(Maryville, MO) – Northwest Missouri State Football has added two new members to the Bearcats coaching staff for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Ryan Gent has been named Assistant Head Coach, Wide Receivers Coach, and Director of Camps. Neil Novak was named the Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Bearcats.
Gent recently worked as the Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach at South Dakota for former Beatcat assistant coach Charlie Flohr. Gent formally played college football at Iowa State University from 2010-13 and then went on to Northwest to earn his master’s degree in Recreation and Sport Management. Gent is a native of Wellman, Iowa and he and his wife Lauren have two sons Will and Leo.
Novak previously spent three seasons at Wayne State College in Nebraska after coaching the defensive line and defensive backs. He also served as the Special Teams Coordinator for Wayne State which helped the Wildcats to an NSIC Title. He played college football at Chadron State and Black Hills State in western Nebraska. Novak is a native of Rock Springs, Wyoming and he and his wife Sami have a son Mavrik.
Both Gent and Novak previously coached at Northwest Missouri State in the past. Gent was previously on staff as a graduate assistant in 2014 and 2015 when he worked with the offensive line and running backs. Novak was a graduate assistant from 2017-18 and was part of two Division II playoff appearances as a member of the Bearcats coaching staff.
