|
| Merchant Marine athletics photo |
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy athletic director Kristofer Schnatz announced that long-time assistant football coach Jameson Croall will be taking over the day-to-day operations of the Mariner football program effective immediately. The announcement comes after this month's news of the upcoming retirement of 17th-year head coach Mike Toop at the end of this academic year.
Croall has been the long-time offensive coordinator and offensive line/fullbacks coach at Kings Point. In his time at the academy, the offense has seen tremendous growth, finishing in the top 25 nationally in many statistical categories throughout the years, including a first-place ranking in rushing offense this 2021 season with 387.2 yards per game.
This year's squad – the 2021 New England Bowl champions who finished with an Academy-record nine victories – also ranks in the top-10 in numerous offensive categories including team passing efficiency (third), third-down conversion percentage (fourth), total offense (eighth), fourth-down conversion percentage (eighth) and scoring offense (ninth) among many others.
Since entering the NEWMAC in 2017, Croall has mentored one D3football.com regional offensive player of the year in Ian Blankenship, and guided 19 offensive players to All-Conference and 13 Academic All-Conference selections.
In addition, Croall also contributes to the academy in multiple facets including weight room management, teaching P.E. courses in self-defense and working event management at numerous home contests.
Croall will guide the football program through the offseason and into the non-traditional spring season in 2022. Toop will remain on the PE&A staff as faculty member and the associate athletic director for recruiting for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year.
No stranger to the Mariners' offensive scheme, the triple option, Croall both played in it and coached it at Springfield. He was a four-year member of the Pride as an offensive lineman from 2005-08 and then returned to his alma mater for two seasons as a graduate assistant coach from 2010-11 before arriving at KP.
He graduated Springfield in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and earned his master's degree from there in 2020.