First-year head coach Billy Cosh has been named the 2024 AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year after leading Stony Brook to its most wins since 2018, following a winless 2023 season. The announcement was made this morning by the AFCA organization. Cosh becomes only the second head coach in program history to receive this honor.
The second-youngest coach in Division I football, Cosh has transformed a team predicted to finish last in the CAA Preseason Coaches Poll into a national contender. Under his leadership, the Seawolves have achieved their highest national ranking since 2018, their most wins since 2017 and their first winning season since 2018, with an impressive 8-3 (5-2 CAA) record.
Stony Brook has taken the FCS by storm this season, ranking in the top 10 nationally in several offensive and defensive categories. The Seawolves lead the CAA and rank in the FCS top 10 for fumbles recovered, turnover margin, turnovers gained, and blocked punts allowed. They also rank in the CAA's top three -- and the FCS's top 25 -- in fourth-down conversion percentage, defensive touchdowns, passes intercepted, red zone offense, red zone defense, tackles for loss allowed and time of possession.
This season marks the biggest turnaround in the FCS, with the Seawolves improving from 0-10 to 8-3. Cosh has also secured the third-most wins among first-year head coaches in the FCS and is the fastest head coach in program history to achieve eight career victories.
Cosh has been instrumental in the emergence of key players, including , , , , and . Dempster ranks in the FCS top five in rushing touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing yards per game, and scoring. Silvera is eighth in the nation in pass breakups, while Knoop leads the CAA and ranks seventh in the FCS in completion percentage. Faulk and Lawrence both rank in the FCS top 20 in forced fumbles and sacks.
The Seawolves return home for their regular-season finale on Saturday, November 23, against Monmouth, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. on FloFootball. The game will also serve as Senior Day, with Stony Brook honoring its graduating football student-athletes in a pregame ceremony.
The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. The awards were established the same year Eastman Kodak agreed to sponsor the AFCA Coach of the Year award. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year. The AFCA first recognized eight district winners in each of two divisions: university and college. In 1972, a ninth district was added in each division.
In 1983, the award was changed to recognize regional winners instead of district winners. The number of divisions was also increased from two to four and five regional winners were selected in each division. This resulted in a more equitable selection process and better represented the make-up of the membership. At the same time, the new system increased the number of honorees from 18 to 20. In 2006, the AFCA Division II Award was split into separate Division II and NAIA divisions, giving us the 25 winners we now recognize.
Region 1: Jeff Monken, Army West Point
Region 2: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt University
Region 3: Curt Cignetti, Indiana University
Region 4: Kalani Sitake, Brigham Young University
Region 5: Spencer Danielson, Boise State University
Region 1: *Jim Clements, Kutztown University
Region 2: Tremaine Jackson, Valdosta State University
Region 3: Adam Dorrel, University of Central Oklahoma
Region 4: Todd Knight, Ouachita Baptist University
Region 5: Jerry Olszewski, Augustana (S.D.) University
Division III
Region 1: *Curt Fitzpatrick, SUNY Cortland
Region 2: Sherman Wood, Salisbury University
Region 3: Andy Frye, Centre College
Region 4: Peter Stuursma, Hope College
Region 5: Ryan Munz, University of Wisconsin-Platteville
NAIA
Region 1: Myles Russ, Keiser University
Region 2: Aaron Mingo, Taylor University
Region 3: Paul Hansen, MidAmerica Nazarene University
Region 4: Steve Ryan, Morningside University
Region 5: Berk Brown, Southern