/notables/2022/12/union-coach-takes-john-carroll-job

Union coach takes John Carroll job

More news about: John Carroll | Union
Union athletics photo
 

Jeff Behrman has been brought back to John Carroll, where the 1995 alumnus will become the Blue Streaks' new head coach.

A former JCU quarterback, Behrman returns to University Heights after serving past seven years as the head coach at Union.

"This is a dream come true," said Behrman. "My family and I are ecstatic. I'm thrilled to come back home to lead a program near and dear to my heart, at a University that aligns with my mission to form Men for Others. I'd like to thank the search committee, Michelle Morgan, and Al Miciak for their dedication to this process."

Drew Nystrom coached John Carroll his past season on an interim basis, leading the Blue Streaks to an 8-2 record, 8-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Nystrom was named co-Coach of the Year in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

Behrman has established a strong reputation as an excellent program builder during his lengthy collegiate coaching career. At Union, Behrman turned an 0-10 team into a 10-0 team in the span of four seasons, guiding the Dutchmen to the 2019 NCAA Division III playoffs. Behrman tallied a 42-20 (.677) record during his six seasons.

During his tenure at Union, Behrman proved himself as an excellent recruiter, winning the 2019 AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year award and the 2019 Liberty League Coach of the Year award. The Dutchmen won a school-record 21 straight regular season games from 2018-21. Additionally, he serves as a board member for the Capital District Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

"Jeff is a proven winner and Man of Carroll," said athletic director Michelle Morgan. "Jeff is an elite communicator with high football acumen, as well as a humble and transformative leader. His track record at Union is impressive, as he knows how to lead a successful Division III program.

"We have a great foundation in place, and would like to thank Drew Nystrom for serving as interim coach during a time of transition. I'm excited for the bright future of John Carroll Football."

Behrman is thrilled to return home to John Carroll and recruit the talent-rich state of Ohio and bring some of the nation's best talent to University Heights.

"I am excited to engage with high school coaches and programs from across the state of Ohio and beyond," said Behrman. "We have tremendous talent and a great foundation in place. We'll look to find men of character who fit our culture. We'll be diving right into recruiting to find student-athletes who work hard and want to be successful in the classroom and on the field."

Behrman brings a wealth of experience to the role. Before getting the head job at Union, the seasoned veteran spent 10 seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Stony Brook University from 2006-15. The Seawolves won four Big South titles and reached the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs in 2011 and 2012. Behrman helped to mentor tight end Will Tye, who became the first Stony Brook alum to play in an NFL game. All the while, Behrman learned under the tutelage of longtime head coach Chuck Priore.

Sandwiched in between a pair of two-season stints at Trinity College (the latter as the offensive coordinator), Behrman worked as the wide receivers coach at Hofstra for two seasons. During his second stint at Trinity, the Bantams went undefeated in back-to-back seasons. He enjoyed his first stint as an offensive coordinator at Blackburn for the 1999 season.

His coaching career started at Division II Clarion, where he was a graduate assistant during the 1996 season. Behrman then headed to Glenville State for the 1997 and 1998 seasons, where he worked as a wide receivers and tight ends coach.

Behrman's roots at John Carroll date back to his days as a backup quarterback for the Blue Streaks.

Following a prolific basketball and football career at Stow High School, Behrman competed as a freshman for the starting quarterback job in 1991. Behrman appeared in 4 games, throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Craig Frabotta on his first collegiate throw. Behrman also started in a 17-7 win over Ohio Northern. Future Hall of Famer P.J. Insana won the starting role, but Behrman threw for 241 yards and 2 touchdowns in 1992. After taking the 1993 season off, Behrman threw for 211 yards and three TDs in 1994.

Behrman battled adversity as a redshirt senior in 1995. He was elected captain before the season, and started the opener vs. Ohio Wesleyan. However, he suffered a broken ankle during the 28-13 win. But Behrman spent eight weeks in rehab with eight screws and a metal plate in his ankle, and managed to return. He played for a series in a 33-7 win in Week 9, and started the opening series of the season finale vs. Baldwin Wallace before giving way to the starter, Nick Caserio. Behrman's comeback earned him recognition as a 1995 NSCA All-American Strength & Conditioning Athlete of the Year.

Behrman won a number of accolades, including the team's Leadership Award and Loyalty Award following the 1995 campaign. Behrman notched Academic All-OAC honors and won the Jerry D. Keller Award for Outstanding Community Service while playing for the legendary, late Tony DeCarlo '66G and Joe Perella.

Behrman is excited to give back to student-athletes after enjoying a special experience at JCU.

"I owe a lot of gratitude to my JCU coaches, teammates, and professors for making an impact on my life," said Behrman. "I know first-hand how life changing John Carroll can be for students. I don't remember the plays or the schemes from my playing days, but I remember Coach Perella's attention to detail and how he impacted me. Coach DeCarlo was such a strong person in my life, too. His ability to impact lives was special, and his priorities and values were always right. Over my 27 years in college coaching, I've often reflected on what I learned from them. I hope to emulate them here at John Carroll."

 

Sep. 4: All times Eastern
6:00 PM
Averett at N.C. Wesleyan
7:00 PM
Brockport at Buffalo State
7:00 PM
Franklin and Marshall at Lebanon Valley
7:00 PM
King's at Wilkes
Video
7:00 PM
Marietta at Westminster (Pa.)
7:00 PM
Hiram at Heidelberg
7:00 PM
Pacific at Howard Payne
7:00 PM
Carroll at UW-Eau Claire
7:00 PM
Greenville at Illinois College
8:00 PM
Trinity (Texas) at Texas Lutheran
Live stats
8:00 PM
Coe at Cornell
8:00 PM
Millsaps at Belhaven
Sep. 5: All times Eastern
6:00 PM
Montclair State at Merchant Marine
6:00 PM
Concordia (Wis.) at Thiel
6:00 PM
Bridgewater State at Curry
Live stats
6:00 PM
Dickinson at Randolph-Macon
6:00 PM
Albright at Gallaudet
7:00 PM
Hobart at Alfred
Video Live stats
7:00 PM
Moravian at Muhlenberg
7:00 PM
Juniata at Gettysburg
7:00 PM
Dean at Fitchburg State
Video Live stats
7:00 PM
SUNY-Maritime at Massachusetts Maritime
Live stats
7:00 PM
Norwich at St. Lawrence
Video Live stats
7:00 PM
McDaniel at Catholic
Video
7:30 PM
Ursinus at Alvernia
Live stats
Sep. 6: All times Eastern
12:00 PM
Nichols at MIT
Video Live stats
12:00 PM
Plymouth State at New England College
12:00 PM
TCNJ at Lycoming
Video
12:00 PM
Misericordia at Endicott
Video Live stats
12:00 PM
Olivet at Rochester
12:00 PM
St. John Fisher at FDU-Florham
12:00 PM
Grove City at Cortland
12:00 PM
Union at Susquehanna
Video
12:00 PM
Johns Hopkins at Ithaca
12:00 PM
Utica at Washington and Jefferson
12:00 PM
Calvin at Oberlin
12:00 PM
Hampden-Sydney at Delaware Valley
12:00 PM
Morrisville State at Kean
12:00 PM
Ohio Wesleyan at Otterbein
12:00 PM
Maine Maritime at Hartwick
12:00 PM
Anna Maria at Eastern
Video Live stats
12:00 PM
Husson at Framingham State
Live stats
12:00 PM
Mass-Dartmouth at Salve Regina
12:00 PM
Minnesota-Morris at Concordia-Chicago
1:00 PM
Geneva at Widener
1:00 PM
Case Western Reserve at Rowan
1:00 PM
Coast Guard at University of New England
1:00 PM
John Carroll at Waynesburg
1:00 PM
Alfred State at Anderson
Live stats
1:00 PM
Salisbury at Washington and Lee
1:00 PM
Ky. Christian at Brevard
1:00 PM
Trine at Christopher Newport
1:00 PM
Apprentice at Southern Virginia
1:00 PM
Methodist at Shenandoah
1:00 PM
Hilbert at St. Vincent
1:00 PM
Sewanee at Bethany
Video Live stats
1:00 PM
Springfield at Western New England
1:00 PM
Castleton at Westfield State
1:00 PM
Carnegie Mellon at Chicago
1:00 PM
Alma at UW-River Falls
1:00 PM
Maryville (Tenn.) at Hendrix
1:30 PM
Ohio Northern at Franklin
Live stats
1:30 PM
Wheaton (Ill.) at Mount Union
2:00 PM
Baldwin Wallace at Wittenberg
Live stats
2:00 PM
Denison at Allegheny
Video Live stats
2:00 PM
Crown at Hamline
2:00 PM
Martin Luther at Lawrence
2:00 PM
Macalester at Grinnell
2:00 PM
Buena Vista at Benedictine
2:00 PM
Hope at Loras
2:00 PM
Central at Illinois Wesleyan
2:00 PM
Wabash at St. Norbert
2:00 PM
Albion at UW-Stevens Point
2:00 PM
Augsburg at Valley City State
2:00 PM
Carleton at UW-Whitewater
2:00 PM
Millikin at Luther
2:00 PM
UW-Platteville at Aurora
Video Live stats
2:00 PM
Beloit at Rockford
2:00 PM
Dubuque at UW-Stout
2:00 PM
Westminster (Mo.) at Manchester
2:00 PM
Northwestern (Minn.) at St. Olaf
2:00 PM
St. Scholastica at Wisconsin Lutheran
3:00 PM
Pomona-Pitzer at Willamette
Video Live stats
4:00 PM
UW-Oshkosh at Linfield
4:00 PM
Gustavus Adolphus at Whitworth
4:00 PM
Lewis and Clark at Puget Sound
4:00 PM
Pacific Lutheran at Cal Lutheran
5:00 PM
William Paterson at Western Connecticut
6:00 PM
RPI at WPI
Live stats
6:00 PM
Wooster at Wilmington
6:00 PM
Huntingdon at Berry
7:00 PM
Mount St. Joseph at Muskingum
Live stats
7:00 PM
Kenyon at Bluffton
7:00 PM
DePauw at Rose-Hulman
7:00 PM
Hanover at Centre
7:00 PM
Greensboro at Guilford
7:00 PM
Stevenson at Bridgewater
7:00 PM
Knox at Eureka
7:00 PM
Bethel (Tenn.) at Mary Hardin-Baylor
7:00 PM
Augustana at Simpson
Video Live stats
7:00 PM
Carthage at Lakeland
7:00 PM
North Park at Ripon
7:00 PM
Adrian at Valparaiso
7:00 PM
Kalamazoo at Austin
7:00 PM
Southwestern at McMurry
8:00 PM
LaGrange at Point
8:00 PM
Mayville St. at Concordia-Moorhead
Video Live stats
8:00 PM
Monmouth at Wartburg
8:00 PM
Rhodes at Washington U.
8:00 PM
Nebraska Wesleyan at Dakota St.
8:00 PM
Lyon at East Texas Baptist
9:00 PM
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Lake Forest
@ Chandler, Ariz.
10:00 PM
Hardin-Simmons at Chapman
10:00 PM
George Fox at Redlands
Maintenance in progress.