After nearly two decades at the helm of the Stony Brook football program, Chuck Priore now finds himself unemployed after a perfect, 0–10 season just a year after signing a three-year contract extension to remain on as head coach.
The question that is on the minds of many Seawolves fans is “Who will inherit the mess left behind?”
Athletic Director, Shawn Heilbron said their will be a “nationwide search” for the next head coach of the Stony Brook Football program. However, Heilbron may not be the one making the call as he is on an expiring contract and it is unclear if the university will be willing to extend his contract.
The university has had a history over the last half decade for hiring coaches, in-house, to take over and continue the same culture that the prior regime had.
A prime example is the Stony Brook men’s basketball team at the end of the 2018–19 season. Basketball Head Coach Jeff Boals decided that he wanted to go back to his alma mater and coach the Ohio University Basketball team. Following a “nationwide search,” the department decided to give assistant coach Geno Ford a shot, and the team has failed to deliver to the expectations of the athletic department while his predecessor has gone on to become one of the most successful mid major basketball coaches in the country over the last few years.
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| The Stony Brook Football Team SBU Athletics |
When it comes to new faces looking for a coaching job, Stony Brook University is viewed as a very difficult place to find work.
In order to become a coach at the University, you must have at least finished college with an undergraduate degree (preferably from a prestigious university) while also waiting for a stamp of approval from the president of the university.
As much as people want to blame Mr. Heilbron for his lackluster hires when it comes to his staff, he is somewhat handcuffed by the University as Stony Brook is a school that prides itself on academics first.
It may be hard for some “top coaching talent” to want to jump ship from where they may be in order to come work on Long Island. Coach had a program that has been trending downwards for almost a decade.
In the words of many angry alumni and donors on social media, “No one wants to play for a losing mid-major FCS football program on Long Island.” Believe it or not, they’re right. Many of their top recruits either transferred out after a season or have fizzled out upon becoming a Seawolf, leading many coaches to steer their kids away from the program.
Whether Shawn Heilbron is involved or not, he’s got a mess on his hands when it comes to his football program and his coaching search due to the restrictions the University may place when it comes to a “nationwide search.”
When it comes to the truthfulness of Heilbron saying there will be a nationwide search, this may be the year to look outside the realm of a fading Seawolf Program as there are many big time names that could become available for the job.
One of these candidates that could catch the eye of many fans and the department alike is a pair of relatives of former Louisville University and Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Bobby Petrino (who currently serves as the Offensive Coordinator at Texas A&M).
Petrino’s brother, Paul, is currently the Quarterbacks Coach at Central Michigan and had previously been at the helm of the University of Idaho’s program while also serving time as a positions coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007.
Paul Petrino’s son, Mason Petrino also becomes a name of slight interest as he has been serving as a Wide Receivers Coach at a top 25 FCS Program at the University of Tennessee-Martin.
It may take months before we know who will be the next man in charge in Seawolves Country, but the interviewing process will be one of immense public interest as the fate of the program may lay on the shoulders of the next man in charge.