QUICK FACTS
School: Pennsylvania Western University, Clarion
Athletics Name As Should Appear in Print: Clarion
City/Zip: Clarion, Pa. 16214
Founded: 1867 (Original University) | 2022 (Integrated University)
Nickname: Golden Eagles
School Colors: Blue & Gold
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 5,000
Surface: Sprinturf (Artificial)
Affiliation: NCAA Division II
Conference: PSAC (Western Division)
President: Dr. Jon Anderson
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics: Dr. Wendy Snodgrass
Alma Mater: Westminster (2001) Athletic Phone: 814-393-1997
Team Information
2024 Overall Record 3-8 (H: 2-4; A: 1-4)
2024 PSAC West Record/Finish 1-5 PSAC West / T-6th
Starters Returning 13 (8 offense, 5 defense)
Starters Lost 9 (3 offense, 6 defense)
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Raymond Monica
Alma Mater: North Alabama, 1990
Career Record: 87-93 (15 seasons)
Record at Clarion: 8-24 (Three seasons)
Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers: Josh Hager
Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks: Larry Wilson
Offensive Line: Vinnie Rizzo
Cornerbacks: Dave Durish
Wide Receivers: Will Adkins
Running Backs / Tight Ends: Will Alexander
Defensive Line: Jimmy Gunning
Defensive Line: Dolph Allen
Offensive Quality Control Ricardo Volley
Athletic Communications
Director of Athletic Communications: Sean Fagan
Email: sfagan@pennwest.edu
Phone: (814) 393-2651 (o) / (724) 875-5396 (c)
Website: clariongoldeneagles.com
Address: 142 Tippin Gymnasium, Clarion, Pa. 16214
Football History
First Year of Varsity Intercollegiate Football: 1926
All-Time Record: 413-441-17
PSAC West Championships: 7 (1966, 1969, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1996, 2000)
PSAC Championship Game Wins: 4 (1966, 1977, 1980, 1983)
NCAA Playoff Appearances (Record): 1 (2-1)
Last Appearance: 1996 – National Semifinal
Series History
• This will be the first ever meeting between Wheeling and Clarion. The Cardinals first established a program in 2018 under head coach Zac Bruney, who enters his eighth season at the helm.
• Wheeling has made strides over the years, winning five or more games in each of the last four seasons. The program’s first winning season came in 2022 when they went 7-4 overall and 6-4 in the MEC.
• When it comes to current Mountain East Conference membership, the Golden Eagles have traditionally had success. Clarion is a combined 44-17 (.721) against current MEC schools dating back to 1966.
• The most common MEC opponent Clarion has faced? That would be Fairmont State, against whom the Golden Eagles own a 22-14 record. They are also 2-0 all-time against next week’s opponent, West Virginia Wesleyan.
• The last time Clarion welcomed a school from The Mountaineer State to Memorial Stadium, though, it resulted in a loss; West Liberty beat the Golden Eagles in the 2022 season opener 21-14, though Clarion shut them out in the second half. Khalil Owens rushed for two touchdowns in the loss.
Scouting the Cardinals
• Wheeling was predicted to finish sixth in the nine-team MEC standings in 2025, garnering a total of 31 points in the process. The Cardinals are coming off a 6-5 season in 2024, including a 5-4 mark in MEC action.
• The Cardinals boasted a prolific offense in 2024, ranking fourth in the MEC with an average of 33.4 points per game and 401.0 yards per game.
• Similar to Clarion, the Cardinals will return a strong contingent on the offensive line, including Second Team All-MEC performer Alex Goodrick.
Golden Eagles Picked Seventh in PSAC West
• The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced their 2025 preseason football coaches’ poll on August 7. Clarion was predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC West division in 2025.
• Clarion returns 13 total starters from last year’s team that went 3-8 overall with a 1-5 record in the PSAC West division.
2025 PSAC Football West Division Preseason Poll
1. Slippery Rock (4)
2. IUP (3)
3. California (Pa.)
4. Gannon
5. Seton Hill
6. Edinboro
7. Clarion
2025 PSAC Football East Division Preseason Poll
1. Kutztown (7)
2. East Stroudsburg (1)
3. West Chester
4. Shepherd
5. Bloomsburg
6. Lock Haven
7. Shippensburg
8. Millersville
About the Coach
Raymond Monica, a two-time American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 1 Coach of the Year and two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Coach of the Year with more than 30 years of experience at the college level, became the 14th coach in Golden Eagle history on Feb. 17, 2022. He enters his fourth season at the helm of the program
Al Jacks Field Dedication Set for August 28
• As a coach, administrator and professor, the late Al Jacks was an indelible part of the Clarion community for six decades. Now, his name will officially become a permanent part of Clarion athletics, when the playing surface at Memorial Stadium is officially renamed Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium.
• With Jacks at the helm of the Clarion football program, the Golden Eagles went 128-46-5 for a .729 winning percentage, and his 128 wins rank eighth all time for a head coach at a PSAC school. The team captured six PSAC West division titles (1966, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1978, and 1980) and three PSAC Championships (1966, 1977, 1980). Clarion’s 1980 team was named the ECAC “Team of the Year.”
• Jacks was inducted into the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame – now named for another Clarion graduate, Robert “Tick” Cloherty – in 1979, and in 1980 the Golden Eagles were named the ECAC Division II Team of the Year. In Fall 2022 he went into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Larry Wilson Comes to Clarion
• The Golden Eagles will feature a new offensive coordinator in 2024 as veteran assistant coach Larry Wilson joins the staff. Wilson was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at IUP from 2022-24, and he made an immediate impact upon his arrival at IUP.
• The Crimson Hawk offense ranked among the top five in the PSAC in nearly every major statistical category, including third in scoring offense (31.6), third in passing offense (249.1), fourth in rushing offense (161.7) and second in total offense (410.8).
• Prior to that he spent 17 years at California (Pa.), including a stretch where the Vulcans hit double figures in wins six times, made five straight NCAA Division II playoff appearances and three consecutive national semifinals.
Golden Eagles Return Trio of 2024 Captains
The Golden Eagles selected their 2024 captains at the conclusion of last season, with three of the five players returning to the fold in 2025. Quarterback Anthony Guercio and linebackers Griffin Buzzell and Dillon Tingle were selected as captains, alongside Trevon Tate and Jake Tarburton.
Egan, Shaffer Recognized for Strong Spring Season
• Clarion head coach Raymond Monica handed out Most Improved awards at the conclusion of the 2025 spring practice schedule, honoring one player apiece on offense and defense.
• The offensive representative was wide receiver Holt Egan
• The most improved defensive player over the spring was linebacker Luke Shaffer.
Buzz at Linebacker
• Buzzell earned his second consecutive Second Team All-PSAC West honor, as the linebacker continued his development into a leader not just on the defense but for the team. He ranked fourth in the PSAC with 90 tackles while also contributing 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception.
• Buzzell is one of five Golden Eagles linebackers to earn multiple All-PSAC honors since 2000, joining Layne Skundrich (2017-18), Nick Sipes (2009-10), Matt Morris (2005-06) and Jabari Weatherspoon (2002-03).
Guercio Breaks Out
• The 2024 season featured an explosion from quarterback Anthony Guercio. He threw for 2,001 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, and then ranked second in the PSAC in total touchdowns with 12 rushing scores on the year.
• That was complemented by 645 rushing yards, giving him an average of 264.3 total offensive yards per game to rank third in the PSAC and sixth in Super Region 1.
• Guercio’s 12 rushing touchdowns were the most for any Golden Eagles since Alfonso Hoggard’s school record 17 touchdowns in 2009, and are tied for fifth in a single season in program history.
• When it came time to make a big play on the ground, Guercio was tops on the team in 2024. He led the team with 44 rushes for either first downs (32) or touchdowns (12). Logan Kent was second on the team with 15 such plays.
Numbers Within Reach for Guercio
• Anthony Guercio enters the season with 16 rushing touchdowns in his career. With two more he will crack the top-10 in program history in rushing touchdowns, and with eight more he would become one of just five players in program history with 20+ rushing touchdowns;
• Another 2,000+ passing season would move Guercio into the top-10 in passing yards for a career at Clarion;
• Guercio is currently in a statistical tie for the best completion percentage in program history among qualified quarterbacks at 57.1 percent.
Not So Static Kling
• Defensive tackle Owen Kling was the anchor of the Golden Eagles’ defensive line in 2024, earning Second Team All-PSAC West honors.
• The numbers were not gaudy – 16 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks – but the cumulative effect was noticeable as he demanded regular double-teams on the interior.
• Clarion held opponents to a 3.9 yards per carry average for the season.
It Starts with Discipline
• In 2024 the Golden Eagles were among the best teams in the PSAC at avoiding penalties.
• Clarion ranked fourth in the conference with an average of just 50.0 penalty yards per game.
• The Golden Eagles also ranked highly in terms of total penalties committed, averaging just 5.8 penalties per game to rank fifth in the PSAC.
Golden Eagles Look to Explosive Offense
• In 2024 the Golden Eagles had one of the most effective offenses in the PSAC on a per-play basis, ranking among the best in the West division and overall in yards per play.
• Clarion averaged 5.8 yards per play, ranking fifth overall in the PSAC and second in the West division behind only Slippery Rock (6.0).
• That yards per play average jibes with the fact that the Golden Eagles ran the sixth-most offensive snaps in the conference, averaging 63.3 offensive plays per game. That, however, ranked fourth in the PSAC behind California (Pa.) (65.9), Edinboro (64.5) and Slippery Rock (64.2).
• Clarion’s offense produced 64 plays of 30 or more yards in 2024, including six pass plays of 50+ yards and 16 rushes of 30+ yards. Wide receiver Ray Jackson had eight receptions of 30+ yards while Anthony Guercio had nine runs of 30+ yards.
The Line That Plays Together...
• For the second straight season the Golden Eagles will essentially return their entire starting offensive line.
• Devin Webb, Josh Steele, Jacob Domer, Mark Mizerak Jr. and Ruric Douglas all return to the trenches in 2025.
• Webb was the anchor of that group, starting all 11 games - ten on the interior and one at left tackle in the season finale, en route to a Second Team All-PSAC West selection.
• In 2024 the Golden Eagles finished the year sixth in the PSAC in total offense at 364.9 yards per game.
Bust it Big
Over the final weeks of the 2024 season, running back Logan Kent turned into a dangerous weapon in the kick return game. In games against Slippery Rock and Gannon he returned seven kicks for 239 yards, an average of 34.1 yards per return. That includes the longest kick return for any Golden Eagle last year, an 83-yard return against Gannon that set up a one-play touchdown drive for Clarion in the fourth quarter.
• Kent’s 83-yard return against Gannon was the longest for a Golden Eagle since Terrell Ford took a kick 90 yards for a touchdown against Seton Hill on Oct. 5, 2019.
Big Day Offensively vs. Shippensburg
The Golden Eagles had their best day in terms of total offensive yardage in nearly a decade on Sept. 14, 2024. Clarion totaled 551 yards of total offense against the Red Raiders, their best output since putting up a school record 676 yards of total offense against Seton Hill on Oct. 17, 2015, a span of 82 games. It had been almost five years since the last time the Golden Eagles had cracked the 500-yard mark; that last came on Sept. 28, 2019 at Gannon.
500 Yards, Part 2
It took considerably less than 82 games for the Golden Eagles to crack 500 yards of total offense again. This time it was a matter of only four games, as Clarion recorded 513 total yards against Edinboro on Oct. 19, 2024. The Golden Eagles last cracked 500+ yards of offense in a game multiple times in 2015, when they did it three times.
Schedule Breakdown
• For the second straight season the Golden Eagles will play a “Week 0” game to open the season, hosting Wheeling on Thursday, August 28 at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles will play their second straight midweek game seven days later when they take on West Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 4.
• The team returns home for two straight PSAC East crossover games against Shippensburg (Sept. 13) and Shepherd (Sept. 20) but then follows with three straight on the road: at Edinboro (Sept. 27), at Gannon (Oct. 11) and at California (Pa.) (Oct. 18). That will push the annual Homecoming game and Autumn Leaf Festival back to the end of the month, with Clarion hosting Seton Hill on Oct. 25.
• The final home game of the season will be against IUP on Nov. 8, sandwiched between road games against Slippery Rock (Nov. 1) and East Stroudsburg (Nov. 15).
Coming Up Next
• Clarion heads back on the road to face West Virginia Wesleyan on Thursday, September 4 in Buckhannon. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.
• This will be the third meeting between the two teams and the first in nearly 30 years; they played in back-to-back seasons in 1995-96, with the Golden Eagles winning both contests.
The Last Time Clarion…
Offense
Had a 300-Yard Passer
Anthony Guercio (24-36, 372 yards) vs. Edinboro, Oct. 19, 2024
Had a 400-Yard Passer
Connor Simmons (28-51, 432 yards) vs. Seton Hill, Oct. 17, 2015
Had 200-Yard Rusher
Mylique McGriff (216) at Gannon, Nov. 4, 2017
Had Two 100-Yard Rushers
Ben Fiscus (204) and John Fuhrer (111) vs. Lock Haven, Oct. 8, 2011
Had Four Rushing Touchdowns (One Player)
Patrick Graham-Murphy (5) at Millersville, Nov. 12, 2011 (tied school record)
Had Five Rushing Touchdowns (One Player)
Patrick Graham-Murphy at Millersville, Nov. 12, 2011 (tied school record)
Had a 200-Yard Receiver
Quinn Zinobile (202) vs. Shippensburg, Sept. 18, 2021
Had Two 100-Yard Receivers
Terrell Ford (115) and Quinn Zinobile (107) vs. IUP, Oct. 9, 2021
Had Four Receiving Touchdowns (One Player)
Matt Lehman at Gannon, Sept. 26, 2015 (tied school record)
Had 500 Yards of Total Offense
513 vs. Edinboro, Oct. 19, 2024
Had 600 Yards of Total Offense
676 vs. Seton Hill, Oct. 17, 2015 (school record)
Defense
Allowed Fewer than 300 Yards
Oct. 19 vs. Edinboro (267 yards)
Allowed Fewer than 200 Yards
Sept. 13, 2021 vs. Millersville (195 yards)
Allowed Fewer than 10 Points
Sept. 5, 2024 vs. Lincoln (9 points)
Shut Out an Opponent for a Half
Sept. 5, 2024 vs. Lincoln (1st)
Shut Out an Opponent for a Game
Aug. 30, 2012 vs. Fairmont State (W 7-0)
Had an Interception Return for a Touchdown
Kareem Hamdan (35 yards) at Mercyhurst, Oct. 15, 2022
Had a 100+ Yard Interception Return
Anthony Stimac (TD) at Slippery Rock, Oct. 1, 2011
Had a Fumble Return for a Touchdown
Brady McKee (0 yards) at Lincoln (Pa.), Aug. 31, 2023
Recorded a Safety
Team at Seton Hill, Oct. 8, 2022
Special Teams
Blocked a Field Goal Attempt
Alex Huzicka vs. Bloomsburg, Sept. 9, 2023
Blocked an Extra Point Attempt
Colton Irwin vs. Lincoln, Sept. 5, 2024
Blocked a Punt
Luke Shaffer (1st Q) / Connor Lyczek (2nd Q) vs. Lincoln, Sept. 5, 2024
Had a Kickoff Return for a Touchdown
Terrell Ford (70 yards)
vs. Lake Erie, Sept. 4, 2021
Had a Punt Return for a Touchdown
Jalen Smith (55 yards)
vs. Lake Erie, Sept. 4, 2021
CLARION GOLDEN EAGLES - 2025 NUMERICAL ROSTER
Havertown, Pa. / Haverford
Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East Marc
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Westinghouse Eric Neavins
Dante Novak
Blake Pisarcik
Brock Stickley
Ashton Walk QB 6-3
Isaac Zietz QB 6-0
Jacob Zietz WR 6-1
Erie, Pa. / McDowell
Warriors Mark, Pa. / Tyrone
Brockway, Pa. / DuBois Central Catholic
Fr. Clinton, Pa. / West Allegheny
Fr. Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone
Fr.
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
#0 Khalon Simmons – ka-LONN (short “a” in first syllable) #4 Zack Slomers – first syllable like “slow” #5 Griffin Buzzell – buh-ZELL
#6 Jack Capotosto – cap-oh-TOhioS-toh (last two syllables have long “o” sound) #8 Anthony Guercio – GUR-shee-oh #9 Terrell Booth – tuh-REL
#10 Tarell Allen-Tooks – ta-RELL; last syllable rhymes with “books” #11 Mathew McGregor – prefers to be called Mathew, NOT “Matt” #12 Zach Switzer – phonetic, first syllable rhymes with “wit” #14 Jase Ferguson – first name rhymes with “Race” #15 Kooper Kamberis – kam-BARE-is #16 Zay Brisbane – BRIZ-bane (long “a” sound in second syllable) #18 Najhir Kibidor – na-JEER KEE-ba-dor
#23 Aaran Randolph – like “Aaron”
#28 Kaevon Gardner – KAY-von
#30 A’mere Hibbler – a-MEER #31 Ahsan Moore – a-SAWN
#33 Emmanuel Ajayi – a-JY-ee
#34 Ky’ian Mims – KY-on
#38 DayMar Trawick – TRAH-wick (short “a” sound in first syllable)
#43 Jaiyson Lewis – like “Jason”
#44 Chase Aguglia – a-GOOL-ya
#45 Akil Dixon – a-KEEL
#47 Andrew Kurtas – like “Curtis”
#48 Ian Palilla – pa-LIL-uh
#49 Michael Ippoliti – ipp-oh-LEE-tee
#50 TyJuane Abram – TY-wahn
#54 Eli Drolz – rhymes with “rolls”
Edinboro, Pa. / General McLane
Edinboro, Pa. / General McLane
#57 Dillion Hynes – just imagine the second “I” isn’t there (Dylan/Dillon/etc.)
#62 Michael Panighetti – pan-a-GET-ee
#67 Daniel Ketron – KETCH-ron
#68 Jacob Domer – DOhio-mer (long “o” sound in first syllable)
#69 Donovan Frascella – fra-SHELL-a
#70 Mark Mizerak Jr. – MIZZ-er-ack
#71 Noah Kowalczyk – ka-WALL-chick
#72 Romeo Valle – like “valley”
#73 Ruric Douglas – RUR-ick
#74 Jonathan Wiczen – WICK-zin
#78 Island Russell-Akkoyun – ah-KOO-yon
#79 Eli Zasadni – za-ZAWD-nee
#80 Ja’Tawn Williams – just how it looks, actually
#82 Feyisayo Oluleye – FAY-ee-shy-oh Ohio-LOO-lay-a #84 Davon Jones – da-VON #87 Alex Schultheis – SHOOL-tyce #89 Jesere Young – ja-SEER
#90 Lenard Brown – LEN-erd (just like “Leonard”)
#94 Davon Hutchinson – da-VON (short “o” sound)
#95 Caliel Long – ka-LEEL
Lenair Butler – la-NARE (long “A” sound in second syllable)
Tsirell Curry – SY-rell (silent “T”)
Jack Gautsch – GOWCH (rhymes with “couch”)
Will Hulea – HOO-lee-a
Demaj Jalloh – da-MAWJ JAH-low
Eric Neavins – NEV-ins (short “e” sound in first syllable)
Isaac Zietz – ZYTZ (long “I” sound)
Jacob Zietz – ZYTZ (long “I” sound)
RAYMOND MONICA North Alabama, 1990
Fourth Season at Clarion • 87-93 Overall Record
Raymond Monica, a two-time American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 1 Coach of the Year and two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Coach of the Year with more than 30 years of experience at the college level, became the 14th coach in Golden Eagle history on Feb. 17, 2022. He enters his fourth season at the helm of the program in 2025.
The Golden Eagles got off to a quick start in 2025, winning their first two games - Thursday night clashes against Millersville and Lincoln - and later earned a home win against Edinboro, marking the first time they’d beaten Edinboro at home since 2000. It was alsot the first time the Golden Eagles beat the Fighting Scots in back-to-back games since the 1997-98 seasons. Clarion boasted five all-conference selections at the end of the year, including First Team All-PSAC West picks Jake Tarburton and Trevon Tate. Tarburton was a nominee for the Gene Upshaw Award, given annually to the best lineman in Division II, while Tate had one of the best receiving seasons in program history to earn All-America Honorable Mention honors.
Monica’s team continued to show growth in 2023, opening the season with a convincing win on the road against Lincoln. The team battled through adversity throughout the year, with the high point of the season coming in a road win against Edinboro. The Golden Eagles beat the Fighting Scots for the first time since the 2015 season and at Sox-Harrison Stadium for the first time since 2009. Three Golden Eagles - Jake Tarburton, Griffin Buzzell and Corahn Alleyne - earned all-conference honors at the conclusion of the season, while another four earned CSC Academic All-District laurels.
In 2022, Monica took over a Golden Eagle team that had gone winless in the previous season and started the rebuilding process, leading them to a three-win improvement and better metrics across the board. He won his first game as the Golden Eagles’ head coach on Sept. 17 when Clarion routed Lock Haven in a 44-7 victory. Clarion later won back-to-back road games against Seton Hill and Mercyhurst, with the latter coming on a last-second field goal by Second Team All-PSAC West kicker Jarrett Esposito. The Golden Eagles finished the year with a winning record on the road for the first time since 2010.
In addition to Esposito, running back Khalil Owens also earned all-conference honors, taking home Second Team All-PSAC West laurels. Four Golden Eagles were honored as College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selections.
becoming the first player in program history to earn Academic All-America honors. Sophomore Josh Carr Jr. also was named to HERO Sports Sophomore All-America team.
Before going to Southeastern Louisiana, Monica spent six seasons as the head coach at Arkansas Tech, where the team made two postseason appearances. In 2015 the Wonder Boys won the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl over Eastern New Mexico, just the second postseason off-campus win in school history. In 2017 Ty Reasnor was voted the CoSIDA Division II Academic All-American of the Year in Football.
Where Golden Eagle fans may best recognize Monica, though, would be his tenure as Kutztown’s head football coach from 2006-12. He turned the Golden Bears into one of the leading programs in the conference, culminating with back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Super Region One playoffs. In 2010 Monica earned PSAC East and AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year honors after leading the Golden Bears to then-school records in wins (10), conference victories (6), points scored (466) and most consecutive wins to start a season (9). The Golden Bears peaked at 13th in the AFCA rankings, the highest in program history.
The encore performance was even better. Monica again won PSAC East and AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year honors as Kutztown won both the East division and the conference championship, defeating Slippery Rock 2114 at home for the title. The Golden Bears again set a number of program records, including total wins in a season (11), rushing yards (2,576), total offense (6,048) overall touchdowns (68) and points scored (487). Of those records, the first three still stand as the best in Kutztown history. The team peaked at sixth in the AFCA Top 25 poll and won their first Division II playoff game in the 96-year history of the program, beating Concord in the opening round.
3-8 .273 Arkansas Tech Record: 34-24 (.500) - Six Seasons
2022 Clarion 3-8 .273
2023 Clarion 2-9 .182
2024 Clarion 3-8 .273
Clarion Record: 8-25 (.242) - Three Seasons
Before coming to Clarion, Monica was an assistant coach at Southeastern Louisiana from 2019-21, including a one-year stint as the defensive coordinator in 2021. The Lions made the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs in 2019 and 2021, winning their first round game in both of those seasons. In 2021, the Lions finished 15th in the final FCS rankings of the year. Freshman defensive back Zy Alexander earned a trio of All-American honors, including Third Team Associated Press (AP) All-America, First Team Phil Steele Freshman All-America and Second Team Stats Perform FCS All-America. First Team All-Southland Conference honors when he ranked sixth in the eighth in the nation with six interceptions, to go with 39 tackles, seven pass break-ups and a forced fumble.
In 2019, Monica helped the Lions rank in the top 10 nationally in both tackles for loss (8th) and sacks (9th). Under his direction, senior Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 CFla. Draft, was named All-Louisiana and All-Southland Conference, while also
Monica earned his first shot at being a head coach after a distinguished tenure at Temple from 1997-2005. Serving as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach in those years, Monica helped the Owls rank among the nation’s best on defense, including 19th in total defense during the 2001 season and 18th in 2002. That made Temple one of only eight schools to finish in the top-20 in total defense in both of those years. Monica won the American Football Foundation (AFF) Mike Campbell Top Assistant Coach award in 2005. In Sports Illustrated’s 2003 College Football Preview, Monica was lauded as being “the best in the nation at getting ordinary players to do extraordinary things.” Among his charges included 2002 Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year Dan Klecko, as well as fellow future NFla. players in Rian Wallace, Raheem Brock, Russell Newman and Calvin Wilkinson.
Monica was a fixture on the staff at North Alabama from 1989-1997, working his way up from student assistant to a full assistant and the team’s recruiting coordinator. The team won three consecutive Division II national championships from 1993-95, making them the first school to win three straight national championships in scholarship football. In his final year North Alabama beat Louisiana-Lafayette, which was only the second time that a Division II school had beaten a Division I program.
Monica earned his associate’s degree from Northeast Mississippi Community College in 1987, followed by his Bachelor of Science degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from North Alabama in 1990. He and his wife Linda have three children – Ray, Lindsey and Austin.
Head Coach Raymond Monica - Year by Year
