BEMIDJI, Minn. -- Bemidji State University head football coach Brent Bolte named assistant coaches Darius Carey and Nathan Nelson as the newest members of the coaching staff. Carey returns to Beaver Football as an interior defensive line coach while Nelson will serve as the defensive ends coach.

Carey previously served on Bolte's staff from 2019-21 before joining Abilene Christian University as a graduate assistant coach, with focus on the defensive line, during the 2021 season. The Wildcats led the Western Athletic Conference last season with 10 fumble recoveries and ranked third with 174.8 rushing yards allowed per game and 209.9 passing yards per game.

Carey, a native of Florissant, Mo., helped Bemidji State to an 8-3 record in 2019 behind a 28.7 percent third-down conversion rate, which ranked 13th in the nation. The red-zone defense ranked fourth in the country at 60.7 percent while two Beaver defensive linemen earned All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference honors. Carey coached two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Quincy University in 2017 and 2018 after concluded a four-year playing career at the same university. He started all four years and earned all-conference and preseason All-America honors.

Carey earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 2017 and his master's degree in education in 2019, both from Quincy.

Nelson joins Bemidji State after beginning his coaching career in 2021 at the University of Iowa. He served as a defensive assistant coach with focus on the defensive line. The Hawkeyes ranked 13th in the country with 19.2 points allowed per game and 17th with 328.8 total yards allowed per game. Nelson coached one all-conference and one freshman All-American student-athlete as Iowa won the Big Ten West Championship and advanced to the 2022 Citrus Bowl.

Nelson, a native of Waukee, Iowa, played with Iowa from 2018-20 on the defensive line. His brother, Anthony, currently plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his father, Jeff, played on the defensive line at Iowa from 1988-92.

Nelson earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 2021 from Iowa.

Bemidji State begins its 2022 season Thursday, Sept. 1 in Bemidji with a 6 p.m. kickoff against Minnesota State University, Mankato.

For more information on the Bemidji State athletic programs, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on Twitter or Instagram (@BSUBeavers), or like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers).

Nestled in Northern Minnesota's wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

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