Joe Freitag joined the coaching staff as the offensive coordinator in 2015. He also served as the O-Line coach until 2025 when he switched to Quarterbacks coach. Freitag returned to his college home after serving in the same position at Benedictine University in suburban Chicago from 2012-14.
Freitag's offense turned in memorable seasons during their back-to-back league championships in 2016 and 2017. While rolling up more than 500 yards of offense per game in 2016, the team produced the national leader for individual pass efficiency. The Scots followed with an equally impressive 2017 campaign which produced back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons for then-junior DeAndre Wright who became just the third Scot with multiple 1,000 yard seasons. Under Freitag's tutelage in 2017, sophomore Joe Krall, a converted defensive lineman, earned the Midwest Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year honor and was named All-Region by D3football.com. He repeated his All-Region performance in 2018 and 2019 giving the Scots four All-Region offensive lineman awards in the last four years. In 2019, Krall was named an All-American by the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches' Association and D3football.com. Derek Brown picked up the mantle in 2021 and was the 2022 & 2023 MWC Offensive Line MVP and a D3football.com All-Region First Team selection.
Fighting Scots fans will remember Freitag as an agile offensive tackle who helped the Scots to an undefeated regular season in 2005, winning their first conference title since sharing the league crown with Cornell and Knox in 1976. During Freitag’s four-year playing career, the Scots posted a record of 34-7. A three-time all-conference offensive tackle, Freitag earned all-region honors from D3Football.com and the Don Hansen Football Gazette as a senior.
With Freitag in the trenches, Monmouth averaged more than 32 points per game in three of his four seasons and in 2006, the offensive line allowed just nine sacks which ranks as the program’s third best all-time.The well-rounded Freitag got the most from his Monmouth experience, playing violin in the college’s String Ensemble. He also plays mandolin and guitar.
A native of Springfield, Illinois, Freitag played for Hall of Fame coach Ken Leonard at Sacred-Heart Griffin High School. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Coe College in 2007. After earning his masters from Coe, Freitag spent two years at Augsburg College in Minnesota as the offensive line and special teams coach. From there he went to Benedictine as the offensive coordinator before returning to Monmouth for the 2015 season to work under Coach Braun.
Freitag, who earned his undergraduate degree in history from Monmouth in 2007 and his master’s from Coe two years later, resides in Monmouth just a long punt away from April Zorn Memorial Stadium. Freitag and his wife Amy, also a 2007 Monmouth graduate, have two children - daughter Etta and son Graham.
