The news, announced by head coach Chuck Priore at the pre-game press conference, was a tough blow on what would become a bad day for SBU, who went on to lose to Villanova, 35-6.

Coker and Johnson, both transfers, were supposed to be the stars of a Stony Brook team that had just lost it’s brightest star to date, Miguel Maysonet, to graduation.

Johnson, one of SBU’s starting cornerbacks, transferred from Cincinnati after three seasons. He also sat out in 2012 for Cincinnati for medical reasons. He transferred to SBU in 2013.

He earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors after the Seawolves Sept. 7 win against Rhode Island, where he had two fumble recoveries. At the time of the announcement that a knee injury he sustained against Buffalo would end his season early, he was leading Stony Brook with two-and-a-half tackles for loss.

Since 2013 was his fourth year of competition, the Seawolves will have to appeal to the NCAA in order for the New Jersey native to be eligible for a sixth year.

Coker, a Maryland native who transferred from Iowa, came to Stony Brook in 2012 with 2,000 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns for the Hawkeyes under his belt. He played in 13 games last season, and rushed for 1,018 yards and nine touchdowns.

The duo of Maysonet and Coker helped the Seawolves reach the second round of the FCS playoffs. In the first-round playoff game against Villanova, Coker had a season-high 29 rushes. In an interview with the Statesman’s Mike Daniello in March, Coker called that game – which the Seawolves won, 20-10 – his “favorite moment while at Stony Brook.”

Sadly for Coker, he never got to play in the rematch. He is out with an abdominal injury, but is expected to return for the 2014 season after receiving a “medical hardship.” The running back gained 212 yards and scored a touchdown in the two games he played for SBU this season.

Although the loss of two seniors is rough, Priore is remaining optimistic.

“Obviously, we’re going to miss Marcus and Reuben,” he said in a statement released by the team. “[But] every team in college football deals with injuries. We will overcome them and move forward.”