Bemidji High School football coach Bryan Stoffel resigns immediately

Bryan Stoffel stepped down immediately, leaving Bemidji High School football under new leadership for the first time in six years. In a Facebook post Monday morning, Stoffel said his resignation came after ongoing personal attacks and a lack of support, a sudden exit that reaches well beyond the sideline in a community where the Lumberjacks draw steady attention.

Stoffel’s departure closes a long run that began years before he became head coach. He joined Bemidji as an assistant in 2009, spent the next 10 years as offensive coordinator and took over the program in 2020, replacing longtime coach and former activities director Troy Hendricks. Under Stoffel, Bemidji went 29-27 and reached the Section 8AAAAA championship game in both 2021 and 2025, giving the program two deep postseason runs during his tenure.

The language Stoffel used points to the pressure that can build around a high-profile local coaching job, especially in a football program tied so closely to school identity, offseason preparation and player development. He later clarified that the personal attacks were not coming from parents, but the resignation still sends the program into the next phase without the continuity players and families expected heading toward summer workouts and camps.

The ripple effects were immediate inside Bemidji Area Schools. Jackie Stoffel, the district’s Unified Coordinator and Bryan Stoffel’s wife, resigned less than two hours after his announcement. Bryan Stoffel, Jackie Stoffel and the Bemidji Activities department all declined to comment, leaving the district without a public explanation of what support, if any, it is offering as the program adjusts.

The Minnesota State High School League’s team page listed assistant coaches Jeff Ostrom, Carey Woods, Byron Willard, Eric Medberry and Chad Stay on the Bemidji staff, names that now matter to players and parents looking for stability before the next season arrives. With the head coaching vacancy opened in midyear rather than after a planned season-ending handoff, the school faces a quicker transition than usual, and the next hire will shape how Bemidji football organizes its offseason, communicates with families and resets its culture before fall.