Noah Pauley joined the North Dakota State University football staff as wide receivers coach in 2019 and spent four seasons with the Bison before accepting the same position at Iowa State University in the Big 12 Conference.
Pauley came to NDSU after spending three seasons as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Minnesota-Duluth.
Part of two Missouri Valley Football Conference championships and two NCAA Division I FCS national championships at North Dakota State, Pauley led an NDSU receiving corps that helped put up the third most passing yards (2,911) and touchdowns (29) in school history as the Bison went 16-0 in 2019.
He coached FCS All-American and three-time all-conference wide receiver Christian Watson, who led the Bison in receiving all three seasons including a career-high 43 catches, 801 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior in 2021 to help NDSU to a 14-1 record. Watson was a second-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers.
Pauley was a four-year starter for Minnesota-Duluth as a player from 2007 to 2010. He played on teams that went 45-8 and won two Division II national championships before joining the Bulldogs staff as a student assistant for the 2011 season.
He coached UMD's wide receivers for two years as a graduate assistant in 2013 and 2014 before spending one year as the assistant dean of students and athletic director at North Star Academy in Duluth.
Pauley returned to UMD in 2016 as the offensive coordinator, directing a unit that rolled up the second-most yards (536.7 per game) and points (45.1) in school history. The Bulldogs led Division II in time of possession and ranked second in total offense.
He coached six all-conference wide receivers at UMD, including All-America receiver and return specialist Aaron Roth.
Pauley earned a bachelor's degree in criminology from Minnesota-Duluth in 2012 and a master's degree in education from UMD in 2014.
He and his wife, Hannah, have two daughters, Ada and Lena.
| Noah Pauley Year-by-Year Coaching History |
| Year |
School |
Position |
| 2013 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
Graduate Assistant |
| 2014 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
Graduate Assistant |
| 2016 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers |
| 2017 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers |
| 2018 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers |
| 2019 |
North Dakota State |
Wide Receivers |
| 2020-21 |
North Dakota State |
Wide Receivers |
| 2021 |
North Dakota State |
Wide Receivers |
| 2022 |
North Dakota State |
Wide Receivers |
