Holy Cross football head coach Bob Chesney has announced a number of additions and changes to his coaching staff ahead of the 2022 season.
Chris Smith has been promoted to the team's offensive coordinator after five seasons as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. His offensive line has been one of the strongest in the Patriot League in that time, with individuals garnering 11 All-Patriot League honors, and the o-line has played a key role in the team's three consecutive Patriot League Championships from 2019 to 2021. This past season, the Crusaders averaged 407 yards of offense per game, including a conference-leading 203.8 rushing yards per contest. Smith is a 2009 graduate of Holy Cross and was a four-year starting center for the Crusaders. He earned second team All-Patriot League honors as a senior, and still holds the school record for the most consecutive games started (45).
"The entire Holy Cross community is excited for Chris's appointment to Offensive Coordinator," Chesney said. "Chris has done a phenomenal job over the past four years. Our recruiting efforts, offensive protection and run game, as well as our overall offensive line play, has grown immensely under Chris's direction. Chris has a sharp football mind that has been shaped by his experiences growing up in a football family, as well as working with an extensive coaching tree at different levels. That experience leads Chris to this moment in time, and we are looking forward to seeing his expertise and vision play out on the field for his alma mater."
Kyle Barnes returns to The Hill as the Crusaders' cornerbacks coach. He previously worked as the nickels and outside linebackers coach at Sacred Heart, winning Northeast Conference titles with the Pioneers during the Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 seasons. Previously, Barnes served as the cornerbacks coach at Assumption College in 2019; that season, Assumption led the NE10 in takeaways (21). Barnes began his career at Holy Cross during the 2018 season, serving in quality control roles for defense and special teams. During that time, Holy Cross' special team units ranked top 10 nationally in blocked kicks, kick return yards, and kick return yards allowed.
"We are pleased to welcome Kyle back to The Hill," Chesney said. "My relationship with Kyle started in recruiting and was forged during his playing days at Assumption College, and later as a coach on our staff. Kyle helped Sacred Heart become one of the best defenses in the country, and we are excited for his return to Holy Cross."
Mike Cordova has been promoted to the Crusaders' running backs coach after working in special teams quality control at Holy Cross the past two seasons. Cordova has earned back-to-back Patriot League titles with the Crusaders; prior to his time at Holy Cross, he served as a running backs coach, video coordinator, and quality control assistant at Wilkes University in 2020. Before that, he was a running backs coach and quality control assistant at Stonehill College in 2019, where he helped coach running back Justin Felder to second team All-America honors. He was a standout running back, wide receiver and kick returner at Stonehill, serving as a team captain and graduating in 2019.
"Mike has proven himself as a bright, committed and hard working member of our staff," Chesney said. "His responsibilities over the past two years have given us great insight into Mike's knowledge for the game and, in particular, the running backs position. Mike will bring a relentless work ethic to our staff, and we look forward to him leading a group of very talented young men."
Nick Della Jacono has been promoted to the position of defensive line coach after working in defensive quality control at Holy Cross the past two seasons. Della Jacono has earned back-to-back Patriot League titles with the Crusaders, and during the Fall 2021 season, he helped lead the nation's top defense at the FCS level, with Holy Cross allowing just 254.5 yards per game. In 2020, he was selected on behalf of the Chicago Bears to be a participant in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, and previously spent two seasons coaching the linebackers at Muhlenberg College. He helped lead the Mules to a 24-3 record in the Centennial Conference and back-to-back conference titles, with the team finishing no lower than No. 8 in every national postseason poll.
"It is with great pleasure that we announce the promotion of Nick Della Jacono to defensive line coach," Chesney said. "Nick has been an integral part of our staff over the past two years doing some of the most challenging work as a quality control coach. Nick has displayed a strong work ethic and is extremely self-motivated. His ability to handle a heavy workload and do that work in an elite manner has us excited for the beginning of his tenure as our defensive line coach."
Anthony DiMichele, a three-year starter for Holy Cross and former running backs coach for the Crusaders, comes back to Worcester as the safeties coach. He will also take over duties as recruiting coordinator and serve in a key role with football alumni relations. DiMichele returns to Holy Cross after three seasons at Lehigh, coaching Lehigh's running backs and coordinating the special teams, while also serving as the Mountain Hawks' recruiting coordinator. During the 2021 season, Lehigh led all of NCAA Division I in blocked punts and ranked fifth nationally in kickoff coverage. DiMichele came to Lehigh after two seasons at Holy Cross, when he served as running backs coach in 2018, and prior to that was the Crusader's assistant secondary coach in 2017. DiMichele graduated from Holy Cross in 2011; he was named as an All-Patriot League selection twice during his tenure as a Crusader, and also earned third team All-America honors in 2009 from the Sports Network. DiMichele finished his collegiate career with 237 tackles, nine of those for a loss, as well as four interceptions and 20 pass breakups. He was a member of Holy Cross' 2009 Patriot League championship team and earned team MVP honors his senior year.
"We could not be more excited to welcome Anthony back to Holy Cross," Chesney said. "A standout football player and former coach at his alma mater, Anthony will make a strong impact coaching our safeties as well as spearheading our recruiting efforts. In the short period of time Anthony has been back on campus, his impact has already been felt during our first Junior Day and our spring practices. We need to take our team to the next level on and off the field, and there is no doubt that with Anthony's expertise, enthusiasm and passion for Holy Cross, this feat will be accomplished."
Rich Gunnell joins the coaching staff as wide receivers coach after serving as the running backs coach at Boston College under head coach Jeff Hafley. A former standout player with the Eagles, Gunnell spent six seasons with the staff, including four years as the wide receivers coach and a stint beginning on Dec. 1, 2019 as the team's interim head coach, coaching the Eagles in the 2020 TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl. Under Gunnell's tutelage, running back Pat Garwo rushed for 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns to earn second team All-ACC honors during the 2021 season. He was part of an offensive coaching staff in 2020 that featured six All-ACC selections and finished 24th nationally in passing offense. In 2018, the Eagles' offense registered the sixth-highest scoring offense in school history, averaging 32.0 points per game. He oversaw the development of two converted high school quarterbacks into NFL wide receivers, as both Michael Walker (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Jeff Smith (New York Jets) made the leap from BC to the NFL following the 2018 season, and Smith is now in his fourth season with the New York Jets.
"We are very pleased to welcome Rich to our Crusader staff," Chesney said. "Rich has a strong background at the FBS level and a familiarity with Holy Cross from living in the Northeast for more than 15 years. Rich is an excellent teacher and has the ability to call on a strong playing and coaching background that will help develop our wide receivers both on and off the field. This group of wide receivers is talented and competitive, and I look forward to watching Rich help them both realize and maximize their abilities as players and young men."
Dean Kennedy will take over as the team's quarterbacks coach after he previously worked at the University of Florida; during the 2021 season, the Gators elevated Kennedy from a quality control role to an on-field position as an assistant quarterbacks coach. He additionally assisted the Gators with recruiting in Atlanta and Southern Georgia, and aided in the coaching of quarterback Kyle Trask, who finished fourth in voting for the 2020 Heisman Trophy. Prior to his time at Florida, Kennedy was also an offensive graduate assistant at Mississippi State. A native of Scituate, Mass., Kennedy was a standout quarterback at the University of Rochester, where he earned All-Liberty League first team honors his senior season.
"We are excited to welcome Dean into our family," Chesney said. "Dean began working with our QBs a few weeks ago, and his impact is already obvious. Dean comes from a program in the University of Florida that is steeped in a history of quarterback development and it is evident that those traits are carried with Dean as he leads our QB room. We have a young and talented room and those men are in the early stages of their development, which leaves room for an impactful teacher to leave their mark. I have no doubt that Dean will help our current three quarterbacks and our incoming two quarterbacks reach their goals on and off the field."
"Change creates opportunity, and we are proud of the staff that we have assembled," Chesney said. "I am extremely thankful for each and every coach that has come through our program, and I am looking forward to building on yesterday's success with this current group of coaches.
"To have the ability to add and promote alums of Holy Cross (Smith and DiMichele), promote two hard-working quality control coaches (Della Jacono and Cordova), bring in a previous player and coach (Barnes), and finally round out the staff with two major FBS coaches from outstanding programs speaks volumes of the program and reputation that Holy Cross Football has on a national level.
"The best is yet to come, and I look forward to working and competing with these talented men."
The full 2022 coaching staff can be found below.
2022 HOLY CROSS FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Bob Chesney
Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line Coach: Chris Smith
Defensive Coordinator: Scott James
Special Teams Coordinator / Tight Ends Coach: Drew Canan
Wide Receivers Coach / Pass Game Coordinator: Rich Gunnell
Cornerbacks Coach: Kyle Barnes
Running Backs Coach: Mike Cordova
Defensive Line Coach: Nick Della Jacono
Safeties Coach / Recruiting Coordinator: Anthony DiMichele
Quarterbacks Coach: Dean Kennedy
Linebackers Coach / Defensive Run Game Coordinator: Brian Vaganek
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