Saint Francis University Athletics

Recruiting Areas: Pennsylvania District 10, Northern Ohio, New York, Georgia, Hawaii

Eric Long begins his seventh season as the Saint Francis offensive coordinator in 2018. Under Long’s tutelage, the Red Flash offense has had some of the best seasons in school history while featuring some of the best players in the program’s history.

The Red Flash averaged 21.9 points, 287.1 total yards, 185.6 passing yards and 101.5 rushing yards per game in 2017.  Saint Francis had three offensive players named to All-NEC teams, including first team receiver Kamron Lewis and second team offensive linemen Mederick Flavius Jr. and Mike Ames.  Lewis was a member of the Walter Payton Award and CFPA Performer of the Year Watch Lists.
 
SFU’s offense had 38 plays of 20 or more yards, including 29 passes and nine rushes.
 
Lewis ranked 14th in the FCS in receptions per game (6.5), 28th in receiving yards (909), 19th in receiving yards per game (90.9) and 54th in touchdown receptions (6).  Lewis had three 100-yard games, including a 202-yard performance at Bryant. 
 
Quarterback Bear Fenimore threw for 1,893 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while rushing for two scores.  Fenimore completed 159-of-278 passes, posting the fifth-most completions in a season at SFU.  Freddy Bopst served as Fenimore’s backup and threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
 
SFU had four different running backs rush for over 145 yards this season, led by Jymere Jordan-Toney’s 561 yards, fourth-best in the NEC, and three touchdowns on 116 carries.  Avery Miliner added 247 yards and three touchdowns, while Joel Denley had 225 yards and Byron Johnson had 145 yards.
 
The Red Flash featured multiple receiving weapons.  In addition to Lewis, the SFU offense featured receivers Jorge Solano (41 catches, 330 yards, three touchdowns), Cyrus Holder (11 catches, 283 yards, two touchdowns) and Ra’Shaun Henry (11 catches, 134 yards).  At tight end, Matt Valenzuela led the group with 15 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown, while Terell Johnson had seven catches for 97 yards and two scores and Colin Hindle contributed a touchdown grab.
 
The Red Flash offensive line started the same five players all season, one of the few teams in the nation to accomplish that.  In addition to Ames and Flavius, the line featured left guard Anthony Barber, right guard Isaac Jackson Jr. and right tackle Evan Ferguson.  Sean Davis also earned time in the offensive line rotation.
 
SFU opened the year with a 69-3 win over Lock Haven.  SFU scored nine touchdowns, the third-most in a game in program history, including four passing touchdowns, also third-best in program history.  SFU scored 24 points in the first quarter, the fifth-most in a quarter in program history.  SFU posted 30-point performances in three NEC games, with 31 vs. Wagner, 30 at Bryant and 36 vs. Robert Morris.

Long’s 2016 offense featured All-America receiver Kamron Lewis, who was also named the NEC Offensive Player of the Year, and four First Team All-NEC selections: running back Marcus Bagley, Lewis, guard Samuel Freireich and center Jimmy Marks. 
 
SFU ranked third in the NEC, and 55th in the FCS, with a 26.9 scoring average.  SFU averaged 218.9 yards through the air and 126.2 on the ground.  SFU averaged 345.1 total yards per game.  Led by Lewis, SFU ranked eighth in the nation by averaging 15.2 yards per completion.
 
Senior quarterback Zack Drayer had one of the best seasons of any SFU quarterback in program history.  Among the season rankings at SFU, Drayer finished second in passing yards (2,594), second in pass efficiency rating (138.33), fourth in completions (172) and attempts (317) and set an SFU season record with 22 passing touchdowns.  Drayer finished his career ranked second all-time at SFU in passing yards (6,031) and touchdowns (53), while also ranking fourth all-time in completions (437) and attempts (764).
 
Bagley ran for 891 yards and a touchdown on 207 carries, averaging 81 yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  Sophomore Jymere Jordan-Toney rushed for 375 yards and five touchdowns on 87 carries. 
 
Lewis set SFU and NEC season records with 1,478 receiving yards.  He finished third in the FCS in receiving yards (123.2), ninth in yards per catch (19.7), 12th in receiving touchdowns (11), 20th in receptions per game (6.3) and 26th in all-purpose yards per game (132.5).  Lewis had eight 100 yard games, including six straight to end the season.
 
Marks was an All-NEC selection for the third straight season, earning his second consecutive First Team honor.  Freireich earned First Team accolades this year after being a Second Team selection in 2015.
 
In 2015, Long’s offense ranked second in the Northeast Conference and 49th in the FCS, averaging 28.2 points per game.  The Red Flash averaged 361.7 total yards, with 158.7 coming on the ground to place second in the league.  SFU also averaged 203 passing yards per game. 
 
The Red Flash ranked second in the FCS in Red Zone conversions, going 37-for-40 (92.5 percent), with 24 touchdowns.  SFU also ranked sixth in the nation in fourth down conversions (71.4 percent), going five-for-seven. 
 
Saint Francis scored at least 20 points in 10 of 11 games this season, including all six NEC games.  The Red Flash scored at least 40 points in four games (Georgetown, University of Faith, East Tennessee State and Wagner).  Since 2012, SFU has nine games with 40 or more points. 
 
Quarterback Zack Drayer continued his development, completing just fewer than 61 percent of his passes for 1,977 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.  He matched his touchdown total from 2014 and improved his yards total by 522.  Drayer also had three rushing touchdowns.  Drayer’s 1,977 yards were the most by an SFU signal caller since Anthony Doria in 2005 (2,895 yards).  The junior topped 200 yards in six games after only two such games in 2014.  Drayer also threw for two or more touchdowns in six games, with four of those coming in conference play.
 
Senior running back Khairi Dickson earned First Team All-NEC honors after topping 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight season, gaining 1,003 yards and eight touchdowns on 184 carries.  Dickson averaged 100.3 yards per game, ranking second in the NEC and 15th in the FCS.  The Cleveland native hit the century mark in six games, including five times in NEC play.  Dickson passed the 3,000-yard mark in the win at Central Connecticut State and ends his career with 3,272 rushing yards, ranking third all-time at SFU.  He also has 3,725 all-purpose yards for his career to also place third all-time in program history.
 
Sophomore running back Marcus Bagley was also a major piece in the offense, rushing for 626 yards and two touchdowns on 113 carries.  He ranked fifth in the league in yards per game.
 
The Saint Francis offense became balanced with the emergence of a few Red Flash receivers.  One of the top breakout players was senior Terell Smith, who posted 53 catches for 920 yards and eight touchdowns to earn First Team All-NEC honors.  Smith finished with the second-most yards in a season in program history and tied for the third-most touchdowns.  He had five games with over 100 yards receiving after entering the year with only one previous game over 100 yards.  Smith connected with Drayer on a school-record 98-yard touchdown in the win over Sacred Heart.  Maryland-transfer Daniel Adams and senior Anthony Abeid joined Smith as key receivers.  Adams caught 24 passes for 383 yards and two touchdowns, while Abeid had 24 receptions for 300 yards, despite only playing in seven games while fighting through an injury. 
 
On the offensive line, center Jimmy Marks earned First Team All-NEC accolades, while tackle Sam Freireich and guard Christian Eubanks claimed Second Team honors. 

In 2014, Long and his offensive unit broke their own school records from 2012 with 354 points scored and 43 touchdowns. Leading the way for the Flash was junior running back Khairi Dickson, the NCAA Statistical Champion for rushing yards per game, averaging 155.3 yards per game. He was named Third Team All-America by The Sports Network and was also a Walter Payton Award watch list member. That award goes to the Most Outstanding Player at the FCS level. Dickson was also named the NEC Offensive Player of the Year, joining backfield mate Marcus Bagley on the awards roll. Bagley was named the NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year. That marked the first time in the history of the Northeast Conference that those awards came from the same position on the same team.
 
Long also oversaw the maturation of sophomore quarterback Zack Drayer. Drayer led the Northeast Conference in passer efficiency while setting the school record in that category, and he tied the SFU school record for touchdown passes in a game with four at Wagner in October. Drayer finished the season tied for fourth on the school’s single-season passing touchdown list with 15. 
 
In 2013, running back Kyle Harbridge had one of the most prolific offensive seasons in school history under Long’s tutelage. Harbridge set school records with 1,619 yards rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns while becoming the first player at Saint Francis to score more than 100 points in a season. Harbridge, a Second Team All America selection, was named All-NEC First Team along with offensive lineman Thurston Kino.
 
In his first year at SFU, the team set numerous offensive records. The 2012 squad featured the most potent rushing attack in school history, setting single-season marks for rushing attempts (502) and yards (2,610). It also was the highest scoring team in school history, registering 307 points on 39 touchdowns and 11 field goals, all school records.

The Red Flash also set single game records for first downs (30), total offensive yards (557) and rushing yards at Morehead State in September.
 
He joined the Red Flash prior to the 2012 season after five seasons on the staff at Mercyhurst College, serving as the Lakers’ offensive coordinator while also guiding the wide receivers and tight ends.  In 2010, Long also took on the role of recruiting coordinator.
 
Prior to his role as offensive coordinator, Long spent his first year on staff working with the running backs and tight ends. Additionally, he has been the team’s academic coordinator since 2007.
 
During Long’s tenure as offensive coordinator, the Lakers have done well in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
 
Last year, Mercyhurst won six of seven conference games including two 1-point thrillers in back-to-back weeks at Indiana University of Pa and Edinboro. The Edinboro game was decided by a two-point conversion in overtime. The Lakers amassed 354 points in 13 games in 2010 (27.4).
 
The team won 10 games overall, the most-ever, and made a first-ever appearance in NCAA postseason play in which it went 1-1.
 
In 2009, Mercyhurst had three offensive players earn all-conference honors, including a second team selection at tight end in Josh Szeluga who would go on to be selected to play in the Valero Cactus All-Star Game. In 2008, the Lakers also had three all-conference selections, including first-team All-PSAC West running back Richard Stokes.Stokes finished his career as the Lakers’ leader in scoring (242), all-purpose yards (4,744) and rushing yards (3,381). Mercyhurst posted a 7-4 mark in that year, marking the best record in 14 years for the program.
 
A six-year member of the American Football Coaches Association, Long earned his start in coaching at NCAA Division III institution St. John Fisher College. While a member of the Cardinals’ varsity football team, Long worked as a coaching assistant for the junior varsity squad, primarily serving as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.
 
Long graduated magna cum laude with a degree in business management from St. John Fisher College in 2004 and then received his master’s degree in business administration from Albany State in 2007 after serving two years as a graduate assistant at Fort Valley State.
 
While on the staff at Fort Valley State, Long was responsible for the tight ends and quarterbacks in addition to his primary responsibility as video coordinator.
 
The Syracuse, N.Y. native and his wife Christine have two children, Ethan and Juliana.