Following the departure of longtime head coach Chuck Priore this off-season during and on the heels of an imperfect season, Head Coach Billy Cosh was brought in to right the ship and in order to do that, he needed to assemble the right coaching staff.
First order of business was to bring in a defensive coordinator to perfectly balance the new head coach's offensive mindset. The man Cosh feels will best be fit for the job is former Saint Francis (PA) coordinator Scott Lewis.
According to a press release by Stony Brook, Lewis spent the last three seasons at Saint Francis – a D1 FCS School in Pennsylvania – where he guided the Red Flash to top-20 FCS ranks in four categories in 2022, ranking ninth in passing defense (176.8), 18th in total defense (332.8), 19th in red zone defense (75%) and 20th in scoring defenses defense I (21.5) in 2022.
During the 2022 season, Saint Francis surged to a 9-3 record and reached the FCS playoffs thanks to Lewis and the defense.
Prior to being at Saint Francis, Lewis had served stints at both SFU as a linebacker coach/special teams coordinator in 2014 and ENMU as a linebacker coach in 2011-2013.
During these stints, he coached a punt return unit which finished 20th in the FCS in punt return yards allowed, averaging 12.47 per game and a linebacker unit at ENMU that led the conference in rushing defense in 2013.
The new Seawolves Defensive Coordinator was also one hell of a defensive player during his collegiate career at Saint Francis (2007-10). Lewis was a five-time All-American selection and a team captain his last three seasons. He was a three-time First Team All-NEC pick and garnered both the NEC and ECAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. He finished with 524 career tackles, which ranks fifth all-time in FCS history.
"Going against Scott while at Richmond and at Western Michigan, I was always impressed by how hard his guys played and how multiple he was on defense," Cosh said in a press release by the Stony Brook Athletics Department. "He will bring energy and focus to our defense. Excited to work alongside Scott.”
With the hire of Lewis out of the way, the Seawolves still needed to fill the offensive coordinators position with someone that will mesh well with Cosh’s philosophy on how it should all work.
Cosh decided to call upon an old friend of his as he convinced now former Western Michigan running backs coach Anthony Davis II to join him as his offensive coordinator.
Davis, who will also serve as the wide receivers coach for Stony Brook, most notably coached freshman Jalen Buckley to 1,003 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season finishing third in the league with 91.2 yards per game. Buckley earned All-America Team (College Football Network) and MAC Freshman of the Year honors for his efforts.
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Former Saint Francis (PA) Defensive Coordinator Scott Lewis was
named the Seawolves new Defensive Coordinator. File Photo
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"Anthony is a great teacher and human being," Cosh said. "Being with him over the years, I've always respected how he works and how he communicates with his players and staff. He will do a great job with our offense and wide receivers."
Davis – who is a native of Indianapolis – was also a very accomplished football player in his playing days. He played two years at Indiana in 2013 and 2014 before transferring to Western Kentucky as a graduate transfer in 2015. Combined with playing and coaching, Davis won two Conference USA championships with Western Kentucky (2015, 2016) and reached three straight bowl games from 2015-17, grabbing wins in the Miami Beach Bowl in 2015 and the Boca Raton Bowl in 2016.
On top of the two coordinators being added, Stony Brook will add D.J. Gillins and Adam Lovan to the offensive coaching staff while Kevin Elliott and Zuril Hendrick join on the defensive side of the ball. The Seawolves will also retain Chris Bache, Cal Daniels, Sean Hammonds, Josh Heinrich and Steve Martino on the staff for the upcoming year.