BG Fills Special Teams Coordinator Position With Familiar Face

BG has landed a new special teams coordinator and he's someone we are well familiar with.  His name is Alex Bayer, an all-time great TE during the Clawson years.

He is the all-time leader in receptions by a TE at BG.  He was all-MAC twice, and went 7 for 124 and 1 TD in the Glorious Night at Ford Field.

From here, he spent a couple years in the NFL, where he played 6 games. He went to Otterbein where he was a  GA.  He then went to Wake Forest where he was the special teams analyst for two years.  Last year, he went to Valparaiso, where he was special teams coordinator.

Sounds like he had a good year...here's what the BGSU release says:

Bayer guided the special teams unit to numerous accomplishments in the fall of 2021, including leading the nation in blocked kicks with nine, the second-most in program history and most since 1991. Valpo was the only team in all of Division-I college football (both FCS and FBS) to block nine kicks during the season. During a game at San Diego, Valpo tied a PFL record for blocked kicks in a single game with three. Brett Bittner blocked three kicks during the season, finishing as one of just six players in the FCS nation with three or more. Elsewhere on special teams, Valpo made 12 field goals, tied for the fifth-most in program history.

Under Bayer's tutelage in 2021, punter Ben Niesner averaged 43.2 yards per punt, which ranked third in program history. He finished the season 16th nationally in punting average while leading the PFL. Niesner was selected to the FCS Bowl, Tropical Bowl USA and received FCS Bowl Special Teams MVP honors.

A loaded Fall 2021 specialist group also featured Brian Bartholomew, who finished the season tied for second in single-season program history with 12 made field goals. He also cracked the program record book by finishing with 32 made PATs, a total that ranked fifth all-time. He led the PFL in both field-goal percentages and made field goals per game.

Welcome home, Alex.