Jason Balts, a former UMD standout wide receiver and return specialist, is in his fifth year as a member of the Bulldog coaching staff.
Balts, who works with defensive backs, was a three-year starter and two-time team captain (2017-18) for the Bulldogs. He attained All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) First Team honors in 2017 after becoming just the sixth Bulldog to ever eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving yard mark in a single season (57 catches for a NSIC-leading 1,003 yards.). Voted the NSIC's 2018 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Balts suffered a season-ending lower body injury one month into what had been a promising senior campaign. He caught at least one pass in each of his last 27 collegiate appearances and for his career amassed 2,259 receiving yards -- the fifth highest total in program history. His 126 lifetime receptions are the ninth most ever turned in by a Bulldog.
A native of Barron, Wisconsin, Balts was one of the 179 finalists nationwide (25 from the NCAA II ranks) for the 2018 National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation. In 2017, he was chosen to the CoSIDA All-Academic first team in addition to receiving the NSIC Elite Award for football.
Balts, UMD's Top Male Senior Scholar Athlete Award recipient for 2018-19 and a three-time NSIC All-Academic Team honoree, earned a B.A. Degree in education studies (emphasis in physical education) from UMD in December 2018.
He is married to UMD volleyball alumnae Emily Balts.
