How Billy Cosh flipped Stony Brook’s football program around in 1 year

A true Hollywood-style story is unfolding right here on Long Island.

Just one year after going 0-10, the Stony Brook Seawolves are 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the CAA as they prepare to close out the regular season Saturday at home against Monmouth at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium (1 p.m. on FloFootball). The team is currently ranked No. 18 in all of FCS.

And it’s all happening under first-year head coach Billy Cosh, who admits even he’s a bit surprised by the rapid turnaround.

“A little bit, yeah,” said Cosh. “When I first started, it was definitely a challenge. We had a lot of things we had to change to get better at. That’s why we coach and that’s why we do the things we do. Credit to the players — they bought in quickly.”

This will be the Seawolves’ first winning season since 2018, when they went 7-5. Since then, the program suffered five straight losing seasons under former head coach Chuck Priore, including 2-9 in 2022 and 0-10 last year. Priore, who led the Seawolves for 18 seasons, was dismissed after the winless 2023 campaign.

After a national search, Stony Brook University’s athletic director Shawn Heilbron hired Cosh last December. Previously the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Michigan, Cosh became just the third head coach in Stony Brook’s Division I history.

It turned out to be not just a good hire — but a fantastic one.

“I’m over the moon with the job that Billy has done since he came to Stony Brook,” said Heilbron. “There was no question in my mind that he would be successful given the vision that he shared with me during the interview process. I couldn’t have asked for more from him in his first year.”

“Honored and humbled are the two words,” said Cosh. “There are a lot of great coaches on that list. Our staff does a tremendous job teaching, and more importantly, our players make it come to life. We’ve come a long way since December as an organization and still have a long way to go.”

While Cosh has certainly revived the program, credit also goes to the players.

The tone for this remarkable season was set during training camp.

“Our players understood the standard that was set and started to take ownership of it,” said Cosh. “We also became closer, realizing that individuals play, but teams win.”

Prior to Stony Brook

Cosh, 32, knows how to run an offense.

Last year as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Michigan, he led the Broncos to second in passing offense, third in total offense, first downs, and fifth in scoring and offensive efficiency this past season in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Prior to Western Michigan, Cosh spent three years as an FCS offensive coordinator, with notable success at Richmond in 2022. The Spiders, under Cosh’s leadership, achieved a 9-4 record and reached the second round of the FCS Playoffs.

Cosh’s coaching journey includes stops at Virginia Military Institute, where he led the Keydets to top-20 FCS rankings in scoring offense and passing efficiency.

Before his coaching career, Cosh played college football as a quarterback for Houston, Butler Community College, James Madison and Kansas State. He won the NJCCA National Championship with Butler in 2012. After his college career, he was invited to an NFL football regional combine at the Houston Texans training facility.

Hofstra, under head coach Joe Gardi, had great success in the late 1990s, including trips to the 1-AA Quarterfinals in 1998 and 1999. Despite producing NFL talent like Wayne Chrebet and Willie Colon, Hofstra disbanded its football program after the 2009 season.

C.W. Post was a perennial Division II powerhouse under legendary Head Coach Bryan Collins, who later joined Stony Brook’s staff before his passing prior to last season. After transitioning to Division I following the 2019 merger with LIU, the program has yet to post a winning season.

But now, thanks to Stony Brook, Division I football is thriving on Long Island once again. And the story is far from over.

“When I came to Stony Brook in 2014, I talked about how important football was to Stony Brook, and I still believe that with every fiber of my being,” said Heilbron. “Winning is critical toward building a fan base and proving that college football can thrive on Long Island. There’s a strong football culture in this region that we’re proud to help elevate.”

The Seawolves are projected to be an FCS playoff team, but they’ll need a win on Saturday to solidify their spot and potentially secure a first-round home game.

Stony Brook isn’t taking anything for granted.

“We are a process-oriented outfit,” said Cosh. “Monmouth is an outstanding team with a lot of quality players. Getting this one would mean a lot to us. It will take our best effort on Saturday, and we look forward to the challenge.”

Adding to the occasion, Saturday is Senior Day — a chance to honor players who endured tough times and are now being rewarded with a season to remember.

“These guys deserve this moment,” said Cosh. “To play meaningful football in November is as good as it gets. They stayed. They could have left, but they trusted our staff and our vision. Our players will honor these guys by playing hard and doing the little things correctly.”

For years, Stony Brook football struggled. But under new head coach Billy Cosh, the program has turned things around in a way few could have imagined.

For more information on Saturday’s game, click here.

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Top: Stony Brook head coach Billy Cosh on the sidelines. (Courtesy photo/Stony Brook Athletics)