With a strong recruiting and transfer class under new head coach Billy Cosh, the Stony Brook Seawolves are rebuilding and remodeling their football program.
The improvement is significant, and a playoff push is possible. But how did they do it? Let’s have a look at the seasons before.
Chuck Priore was the longest tenured coach in Division 1 Stony Brook history, with four conference championships under his leadership. He has also made it to the FCS playoffs with the program four times. However, the game of football appeared to pass Priore by, as in 2022 he finished a program worst 2-9. He outdid himself a year later, with a woeful 0-11 season which ultimately got him fired.
The administration made the decision during the offseason to hire Billy Cosh as head coach, who was the offensive coordinator (OC) for MAC school Western Michigan. While he was there, the offense was top five in several stat categories in conference. Before that, he was the OC during Richmond’s FCS playoff run. During the offseason, he was able to land 10 scholarship commits for Stony Brook, with a strong focus on the offensive and defensive lines.
So far, the new hire seems to have worked out, as there has been a near-instantaneous turnaround for the Seawolves. As of October 28, they are 6-2 on the season, and ranked 20th in the FCS poll. This is the season they have been ranked in the poll since 2018. The Seawolves have mainly been able to do this under their new and improved rushing attack, with senior Roland Dempster at the helm. Dempster has rushed for 803 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season already, truly carrying the team on his back.
Stony Brook’s next opponent is Bryant, a team struggling so far this season with a 2-6 record. With only one conference loss, Stony Brook coming out with a victory here could put them in the race for a CAA conference championship, and potentially a playoff berth. If they made the FCS playoffs, it would be the first time since 2018.
One thing is for certain, Stony Brook might need to give Billy Cosh a raise, as a better program is likely to attempt to poach him.
