It is with great pleasure that Benedictine University announces the appointment of Brad McCaslin to the position of head football coach.
McCaslin brings a wide and extended array of experience that has spanned three decades. Most recently, the Michigan resident served as a defensive analyst at the University of Buffalo, a Division I program in the Mid-American Conference. Two years at Buffalo allowed McCaslin to reunite with one of the first people he worked with in his college coaching career, Lance Leipold, who won six NCAA Division III championships as the head coach at UW-Whitewater before heading to Buffalo. The first year saw McCaslin serve as a defensive assistant and director of player personnel.
McCaslin replaces Josiah Sears, who stepped down in late February to join IMG Academy as offensive coordinator. Earlier this year, Benedictine announced its intent to seek membership in NCAA Division II.
"We are thrilled as a family for this opportunity," McCaslin said. "We have talked about a day like this for a long time. The direction of the athletic department and university is very exciting. I really enjoyed getting to know the leadership at the institution through the search process. Benedictine is a great personal fit for our family."
McCaslin has been a part of seven conference championships during his coaching career along with 15 winning seasons. McCaslin opened his career as a high school coach before heading to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, an NCAA Division II program, from 1997-2011. The Wyoming native saw his role grow from a graduate assistant, where he first met Leipold, all the way up to assistant head coach. Other roles along the way at Omaha included video coordinator, special teams coordinator, recruiting coordinator, defensive line coach and defensive coordinator.
Nebraska-Omaha won six conference titles with McCaslin on staff. The 2000 team finished 10-1 in the regular season and ranked second nationally in scoring defense and rushing defense. The defense improved drastically under McCaslin and the 2007 team finished the regular season undefeated. McCaslin coached five players who went on to play professionally.
When Nebraska-Omaha dropped football following the 2010 season, McCaslin moved to Drake for two years, serving as the defensive coordinator. Drake turned into one of the top defenses in the conference. McCaslin also worked for two years as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Eastern Michigan.
"Brad's vision for the program stood out as the perfect fit for Benedictine," director of athletics Mark McHorney said. "His leadership style and experiences will provide the necessary foundation for our student-athletes to excel in all areas of the program."
McCaslin becomes the 29th coach in program history. Benedictine opens the 2018 season on Sept. 1 with a road game at Franklin. The first chance to see McCaslin in his home head coaching debut takes place on Saturday, Sept. 8 under the lights against Loras at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex.
"Winning and outdoing yourself is expected," McCaslin added. "We won't stop with just winning football games. We are developing the discipline to consistently outdo personal achievements. My vision is to mark players for life."