Route running and role modeling: Canyon Bauer’s impact through Bauer’s Elite

On a weeknight in Sioux Falls, while most college students are winding down from class or practice, Canyon Bauer is just getting started. Inside the Sioux Falls Dome, Bauer moves between cones, a whistle flopping on his chest, leading high schoolers through footwork combine-prep drills with the same energy he brings to the football field. 

“You call that a route?” Bauer jokes, shaking his head with a smile as a high school receiver trots back to the line. A beat later, he’s breaking down the player’s footwork mid-drill, shifting seamlessly from playful to precise.

It’s a rhythm Bauer knows well: Part mentor, part technician. For the fifth-year Augustana wide receiver, coaching isn’t a side gig. It’s his full-time job — and his passion.

Canyon co-founded Bauer’s Elite Training Academy in 2022 with his older brother, Boston. What started as a shared dream between two football-obsessed brothers has become one of the most in-demand year-round football training programs in the region. From third graders to Division I athletes, and even NFL prospects, the Bauer brothers have helped hundreds chase their potential.

“Canyon was always a natural leader even when we were teammates at Augie,” Peyton Buckley, a former Augustana defensive back and current coach at Bauer’s Elite, says. “But seeing him step into the coaching role, it just made sense. He connects with athletes and knows how to bring out the best in them.”

Bauer’s path to becoming a business owner began long before his college years. His father was a coach at O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, and Canyon’s earliest football memories involve being a ball boy on the sidelines, soaking up the game from the ground up. 

“It’s kind of what we always did,” Bauer says. “My dad passed on that love for the game, and we ran with it.”

The academy was born from a high-school dream: to open a gym, coach athletes and give back to the community that raised them. 

“We found we had all this football knowledge and experience, and we wanted to pass that on,” Bauer says. 

What started as a few kids training at the Orthopedic Institute quickly snowballed, thanks in part to word of mouth and savvy use of social media. Today, athletes from Augustana, SDSU, Morningside and even the NFL come through Bauer’s Elite.

The academy’s growth hasn’t come without sacrifice. Until this past December, Canyon was juggling finishing his master’s degree in business administration, football and running the business full-time. 

“It was like running around with my hair on fire,” Bauer says with a laugh. “There were 40 tabs open on my computer, and none of them ever closed.” 

His days often stretched from 9 a.m. paperwork to 9:30 p.m. training sessions. Still, he never complains. 

“This is my dream job,” Bauer says. “I could probably make more with my MBA at a desk job, but I’d never feel as fulfilled.”

Those who coach alongside him see that passion in every session.

“There’s a process to everything Canyon does,” quarterback coach Kelly Meeker says. “The athletes aren’t just here to get a workout: They’re here to actually develop in every drill. Every rep has a purpose, and when you see these kids take what they’ve learned in training and dominate in 7-on-7, you know it’s working.”

Despite his young age, Canyon has already learned how to tailor his coaching to every athlete. He describes himself as a “technician” who preaches consistency, energy and adaptability. 

“Every athlete is different,” he says. “Some need tough love, some need encouragement. My job is to know the difference.”

That philosophy comes from his own playing career, which included time at SDSU, where he got his undergraduate degree in exercise science before transferring to Augustana for his master's.

“I’ve had five different receiver coaches in college,” Bauer says. “I learned that every coach and every player is different. Everybody responds to different teaching, different coaching, and it’s important to understand that.”

Canyon’s goals for Bauer’s Elite stretch far beyond the turf. He and Boston hope to open a dedicated facility in the coming years. They’re also expanding their 7v7 youth league and looking to integrate sports performance and PT services. Their ultimate goal is to create a full-circle development space for athletes of all levels.

“One of our biggest goals is to have our own facility — something custom-built for the athletes we serve,” Boston Bauer wrote in an email. “With our growth, it would let us expand our teams and training, and create a space that truly supports year-round development. That’s where we see this going.”

In the end, what Canyon hopes to leave behind isn’t a stat line but a standard. 

“I want people to know we cared,” Canyon says. “That we gave everything to help others reach their goals, whether that’s on the field, in college, or just in life.”