HERO Sports welcomes you to "Two-a-Days", where we will preview every single one of the 125 FCS programs, with two being released each day from June 18 to August 18 (with the final day having three in one day). Today we give you … Stony Brook.
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Any Two FCS Teams[divider]
FCS TEAM BY TEAM PREVIEW: The countdown
FCS PRESEASON TOP 25: The poll
FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA: The teams
Stony Brook (10-3 IN 2017)
Colonial Athletic Association (SBU was 2nd in 2017)
COACH: Chuck Priore – 13th year (77-61)
2017 OFFENSE: 29.2 ppg (40th in FCS)
2017 DEFENSE: 20.6 ppg (28th in FCS)
SUM IT UP: Stony Brook had a major breakthrough in 2017, its fifth season as a member of the CAA. The Seawolves hadn't finished over .500 since transitioning from the Big South, and their highest conference finish in four years had been a tie for fifth. Suddenly, in 2017, a well-balanced Stony Brook team capitalized on a power vacuum near the top of the CAA, giving the Seawolves a second-place finish amidst a 9-2 regular season record. As other programs suffered setbacks, Stony Brook saw a huge rise.
In 2018, Stony Brook (and, by extension, fellow upstart Elon) faces a challenge key to its future as a potential CAA player: can the Seawolves hold their ground and fend off the traditional CAA powers? The question is a fair one to ask, given Stony Brook's heavy turnover from last season to this one, compounded by a lack of historical success. Joe Carbone will be back on offense, but many of the surrounding players are not. On defense, the Seawolves should have one of the better linebacker groups in the conference, but depth at other positions could be problematic.
With Carbone's retooled offense and a defense that should still be pretty good, Stony Brook should be in the hunt for the playoffs again in 2018, though another second-place finish might be a bit out of reach.
BEST-CASE SCENARIO: Stony Brook squeaks into the playoffs after a rivalry win over Albany in the final week of the regular season. The Seawolves will likely be outclassed in 2018 games with Air Force, New Hampshire, James Madison and Delaware. That's an awfully small margin of error, but the Seawolves could win their other seven games and seize an at-large bid — the CAA will be good enough this season for quality 7-4 teams to merit inclusion in the postseason. That means back-to-back September games with Richmond and Villanova are both probably playoff elimination games for all parties involved. Both games are on Long Island, though, which means the Seawolves have a great chance to thread the needle.
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BEST FCS PLAYER BY NUMBER: We count down, No. 99 through No. 1[divider]
TOP RETURNEE: LB Shayne Lawless (Second-Team All-CAA, 13 TFL's in '17).
THE NEXT FIVE: QB Joe Carbone (24 Career Starts, Passed for 2,470 Yards/23 TD's in '17); H-Back Cal Daniels (All-American Utility Player); RB Donald Liotine (1,486 AP Yards in '17); DB Gavin Heslop (8.5 TFL's, 11 PBU's in '17); OL Jonathan Haynes (West Virginia Transfer, 13 Starts at SBU from 2016-17).
TOP NEWCOMER: TE Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (Michigan Transfer, Son of former New York Giants RB Tyrone Wheatley).
DID YOU KNOW?: Stony Brook is actually the largest single-site employer on Long Island.
THE QUOTE: "This offseason, we self-examined who we are defensively and what has led to our success. We have addressed and made the changes we believe will help us continue to be one of the best defensive units in America. We have the mental toughness and the personnel to be elite once again." -Head Coach Chuck Priore, on Stony Brooks' defensive evolution
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SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
THE HASHTAG: #SeawolvesUnited
FOOTBALL TWITTER: @StonyBrookFB
It's hot out here for @StonyBrookFB and our former All-American OT in camp with the @Redskins agrees! #HOWL pic.twitter.com/XoFCtSfJjw
— Coach Hatch ????#HOWL (@Coach_Hatch) August 7, 2018
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#LAYCOCKLEGACY: William & Mary Coach Jimmye Laycock Will Retire After 39th Season
MORE CAA PREVIEWS: Albany | Delaware | Elon | James Madison | Maine | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | Richmond
