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A new era has officially begun for Stony Brook’s football program.
SBU on Wednesday announced the hiring of Billy Cosh to be the program’s third head coach since entering the Division I ranks in 1999.
This move was made after Stony Brook parted ways with longtime coach Chuck Priore, who coached the Seawolves for the last 18 years, after the team finished winless this past season (0-10). Before him, Sam Kornhauser guided the team from 1984 to 2005.
The hiring of Cosh was made public by Stony Brook University Director of Athletics Shawn Heilbron and President Maurie McInnis.
“Billy is an innovative coach who will bring energy, intensity and a specific plan for building a championship-level program at Stony Brook,” said Heilbron. “More importantly, he genuinely cares about creating a positive environment for our student-athletes, and I am so happy that he is joining our Seawolves family along with his wife Kelsey and daughter Charli.”
Cosh is the former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Michigan, leading the Broncos to second in passing offense, third in total offense and 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, demonstrating a potent offense that ranked third in the CAA in points per game.
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.
Cosh, who will be officially introduced as the head coach on Dec. 14, is excited to get to work on Long Island.
“Great location, academics, athletics and, more importantly, people really excites me about being the head football coach here,” he said. “Being a FCS coach over the years, I have always admired Stony Brook from afar. I know we will develop these young men the right way and play a brand of football that will return us to the top in a great league in the CAA!”
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Top: Courtesy photo from Stony Brook Athletics of Billy Cosh, the new head coach for Stony Brook Football.
