With the graduation of running back Brock Jackolski ’12 from last year’s Stony Brook football team, the Seawolves vaunted running attack could have taken a mortal blow that would make the rest of the Big South conference salivate at the prospect of unseating last year’s conference champion from its throne.
But any sighs of relief from the defensive squads of Big South schools may have turned to groans in the spring of this year when Stony Brook announced that it was the destination of transfer student Marcus Coker, who is making the jump to Long Island from the University of Iowa, a member of the prestigious Big Ten conference.
“This is my family already,” he said. “As soon as I got here, they became my family. They treated me like I was their family.”
Coker, a 230 pound, 6-foot, junior running back, is expected to be a powerful shot in the arm for Stony Brook’s offense, bringing with him a set of skills learned by playing against some of the best football programs in the nation. He ran for more than 2,000 yards and scored 18 touchdowns in two seasons at Iowa. In his sophomore year, Coker ran 115.3 yards-per-game and 1,384 yards overall, earning himself a place on the second-team all-conference. He was also named co-MVP of the 2010 Insight Bowl, in which he ran for two touchdowns and 219 yards against No. 12 Missouri.
However, last year is in the past, and Coker is focused on and excited about what is coming this fall.
“New home, new team,” he said. “Anytime that a new season comes, you’re always excited.”
The change from Iowa to Stony Brook is not a small one when seen on paper. Iowa, along with other Big Ten schools, has had a storied history with nationally recognized great players. Though its national profile has been growing over the past several years, Stony Brook is comparatively a youngster in Division I sports, including football. That being said, Coker says that the change does not influence how he will carry himself against the teams he will suit up against this fall.
“I approach it the same way I approach any other team,” he said. “Just go out there and try to get better – I don’t really worry about my competition.”
Going into his third year of collegiate play, Coker will undoubtedly be looked at by the younger players just making their start. Coming from a Big Ten school will only make this more the case.
“The biggest thing for those guys is to keep your head down and work hard and don’t think that you know everything.”
With a number of developments in the world of Stony Brook athletics, including the recent announcement that the football team will join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) next fall, Coker still has his mind helping his team win now.
“I’ll do whatever the coach asks of me,” he said. “If they ask me to play wide-out, I’ll play wide-out. Whatever I can do to help the team win is what I’m going to do.”
