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Chuck Priore

SBU Coach Chuck Priore on right. Photo by Jim Harrison/Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook University Athletics Department announced on Nov. 13 that Chuck Priore will not return as the head coach of the football team next season. 

The Seawolves finished 0-10 this season after Nov. 11th’s 38-20 loss to Albany.

Chuck Priore

“I am grateful to Chuck for his 18 years of dedication to Stony Brook University and to the countless young men whose lives he has impacted,” said Director of Athletics Shawn Heilbron. “Under his direction, our program earned multiple playoff appearances while sending our first wave of players into the NFL.”
 
The Seawolves will conduct a national search to find the third head coach in the program’s Division I history. 
 
“As we embark upon this transition, the search for the next leader of our football program begins immediately,” said Heilbron.

Effective immediately, offensive coordinator Andrew Dresner will serve as interim head coach.

Over 18 seasons, Priore ushered the program into a new era as he guided Stony Brook from 20 scholarships to a fully-funded program of 63 scholarships, the maximum allowed at the FCS level.

Under Priore’s leadership, Stony Brook posted a number of firsts – a win over a FBS team (defeated Army in 2012), a 10-win season (2012), an at-large berth to the Division I Football Championship (2011), and produced the Seawolves’ first NFL player when Will Tye joined the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent.

He led the Seawolves to four FCS postseason berths (2011, 2012, 2017, 2018) and in 2011, he guided Stony Brook to its first-ever postseason win with a 31-28 victory over UAlbany. The Seawolves claimed at least a share of four Big South Conference Championships (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) while Priore was at the helm of the program. 

During his tenure on Long Island, his student-athletes totaled 113 conference awards, which included seven major award winners. Additionally, he coached 44 All-Americans, among them Stony Brook Hall of Famer Miguel Maysonet, who was the runner-up for the prestigious Walter Payton Award in 2012.  

Priore was a two-time Big South Coach of the Year (2009, 2011), was once tabbed the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year (2012), and was twice named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award (2011, 2012). Priore led the Seawolves to a 97-101 record over his time as head coach.  

Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook University football head coach Chuck Priore has named linebacker Reidgee Dimanche, wide receiver Delante Hellams Jr., offensive lineman Kyle Nunez, and defensive back Randy Pringle as the Seawolves’ team captains for the 2022 season.

“I am really excited about the opportunity to work with our four captains for the 2022 football season. Reidgee Dimanche and Kyle Nunez are returning captains and they did a tremendous job in the 2021 season as leaders. They are joined by Randy Pringle and Delante Hellams Jr., which gives us great leadership. All four guys are sixth-year players and it’s awesome that we have that kind of leadership. Being a captain is about being yourself, you got elected for a reason, it’s probably because you’re a quality person, you set the examples correctly, and you love playing the game on the field. We are going to continue to strive to be successful that way with their leadership as a football program,” said coach Priore.

Dimanche is a returning captain and finished the 2021 season with 79 tackles (41 solo, 38 assists), 5.5 tackles for loss, a half of a sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 11 games. The linebacker was second on the team in total tackles and ranked 13th in the CAA.

Dimanche recorded a pair of 10-tackle games in 2021. He first made 10 stops in the Seawolves’ 24-3 win at Colgate on September 11. Two weeks later, Dimanche tallied 10 tackles against Fordham on September 25. The Hamilton, N.J. native registered six or more tackles in 10 out of 11 games this past season.

Hellams Jr. recorded 31 receptions for 357 yards in 2021. The wide receiver tallied at least one catch in every game this past season for the Seawolves. Hellams Jr. registered a season-high 66 yards on four receptions on October 2, at Rhode Island. He hauled in a season-long 36-yard reception against the Rams en route to his season-best 66-yard performance. The redshirt senior posted a season-high five receptions in the homecoming win over Richmond on October 23..

Like Dimanche, Nunez is a returning captain. Nunez earned All-CAA honors for the fourth year in a row and was tabbed to the Second Team for the third time in his career. The redshirt senior helped lead the Seawolves to 10 100-plus yard rushing performances in 2021. The team ran for 200 yards or more in three games and racked up a season-high 321 rushing yards in the, 36-14, win over UAlbany to reclaim the Golden Apple.

Nunez helped the running game average 176.1 yards per game, the second-most in the CAA and the Seawolves rushed for 19 touchdowns as a team, which were tied for the second-most in the conference.

Pringle finished the season with 47 tackles (27 solo, 20 assists), three interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and blocked kick. Pringle led the team in interceptions and was tied for the sixth-most in the CAA. His 47 tackles were good for the fourth-most on the team this past season. The defensive back helped the Seawolves earn a homecoming win over Richmond as he recorded a pair of interceptions in the win. The following week, Pringle recorded an interception in the road win at Maine on November 6. The Brooklyn native tallied a season-high eight tackles on October 9 at Towson.