A.J. Holland Returns North with UND as Assistant
Holland joins UND as assistant, excited about coaching experience.
GRAND FORKS—Former Fighting Hawks assistant coach Ty Danielson accepted the head coaching job at Northwestern Oklahoma State in the offseason, creating the opening. A. J.
Holland has now joined the program as an assistant, returning to his former home state of Minnesota after four seasons at East Texas A&M. Holland, who grew up in Georgia and went to high school in Alabama, joked that he's finally back in the igloo. The 35-year-old was recommended by Chris Johnson, who has coached the Cougars since 2008.
Sather’s connection with Johnson dates back to his time at Northern State, where he coached from 2010-19. Holland spent four seasons as a director of operations and then a full-time assistant at East Texas A&M in 2022-23, improving the Rams' offensive capabilities under coach Jaret Rosenberg's more defensive-minded approach. Holland’s coaching career began with Arkansas-Fort Smith in 2017, followed by Texas Permian Basin as an assistant from 2018-20.
He believes offense has consistently been one of his strengths and attributes it to recruiting players who can both defend and play the game offensively. Holland's defensive abilities improved at East Texas A&M under coach Rosenberg’s more defensive-minded style, allowing him to balance out the team on that side as well.