Eric Schmidt will oversee the outside linebackers and defensive line in his first year at Southern Illinois University.

A former standout linebacker at the University of North Dakota, Schmidt returned to his alma mater in 2005, and coached there the last two seasons.

Prior to that, he spent four years as head football coach at Crookston (Minn.) High School. He led the Pirates to a Section 8AAA runner-up finish in 2004, and one year earlier, led the team to the Minnesota state semifinals. He was named the 2003 Section 8AAA Coach of the Year.

Schmidt was also the head girls basketball coach at Crookston High School and guided the team to a State AA runner-up finish in 2006.

A native of Mandan, N.D., Schmidt played for the Fighting Sioux from 1998 to 2001 and was a captain of UND's 2001 national championship team. A two-time All-North Central Conference selection, Schmidt earned All-America honors as a senior in 2001.

Schmidt received his bachelor's degree in secondary education from North Dakota in 2002.