Major Shake-Ups With Duluth’s Minnesota Monsters Arena Football Team

Only a little more than a week after Duluth's Minnesota Monsters football team saw its 2026 season end in the AF1 Semifinals, the team has announced some major shake-ups within the organization.

Just today, the team announced several changes at top positions within the organization, including front office changes and moves being made within the top members of the coaching staff.

About a month ago, it was announced that the team's general manager, Meadow Lemon, would be transitioning out of the role, and Willie Howard was being moved from a consulting role to that of general manager.

In that same timeframe, Willie's brother Jaysen "Yogi" Howard was announced as the team's assistant general manager.

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The first of today's announcements sees Willie Howard assuming the duties of head coach of the team as they navigate through the offseason and prepare for 2027.

Team owner Jacob Lambert revealed the coaching change in a press release from the team, noting that Willie Howard will assume head coaching duties effective immediately, while also continuing to be the team's general manager.

This unifies the roster construction, management of player personnel, coaching staff, game preparation, and on-field game execution all under Howard's direct control.

Willie Howard's football pedigree includes playing defensive end for Stanford, being named a first-team All-PAC-10 player twice, and being drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.

With Howard assuming the duties of head coach, the fate of the team's 2026 head coach, Daron Clark, was also revealed today.

Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth

Clark was named in a second announcement from the team as the team's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach moving forward. Prior to being elevated to the role of head coach for the 2026 season, Clark had served as offensive and special teams coach for the Duluth Harbor Monsters during the 2025 season.

In the announcement about Clark's move to offensive coordinator, the Monsters also teased, "Additional announcements regarding the Minnesota Monsters’ coaching staff, roster, and upcoming season will be released in the coming weeks."

That said, be on the lookout for more changes with the team as they look to re-tool for a deeper run in the playoffs next year.