GLASSBORO, NJ - The Rowan football program will begin a new era on Thursday, September 5th, as the Profs travel to Stevenson for the season opener, marking the debut of head coach Pat Ruley. Kickoff is 7 p.m. The 2013 Rowan alumnus took over as the eighth coach in school history after six years as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Susquehanna University.

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Ruley is guiding a squad that features a number of key players returning from last year's team which went 4-2 in the NJAC to finish in a three-way tie for second place. Among those are quarterback Nate Maiers, last year's NJAC Offensive Rookie of the Year, who passed for eight touchdowns and 153 yards per game in 2023. Defensively, the Profs are led by All-Conference First Team selections Eric Bryant (CB) and Josh Ortiz (NT), as well as sophomore Carter Williams (DE), who was the NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

"As we head into the season opener against Stevenson it's an opportunity to show the work we've put in over the last four weeks. Stevenson is a tough opponent and we need to bring our "A" game if we want to win," said Ruley, who was an All-NJAC linebacker for the Profs. "I told the team this morning that we need to go out and play fast, physical, and confident. The game is going to come down to a handful of plays and we need to figure out how to win those situations. No one is going to hand us anything and that's the way we like it. If you want something you have to take it. We'll see how bad we want it under the lights in Owings Mills."

Ruley will also serve as Rowan's defensive coordinator and former NFL lineman Gino Gradkowski was elevated to the position of offensive coordinator this year. Gradkowski, who enjoyed a seven-year career in the NFL and was a member of the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII champion team, joined the Profs' staff in 2022 as the offensive line coach. Assistant coaches Kurt Kingett and Cedric Dawkins will change their responsibilities this year - Kingett will be in charge of the special teams and safeties with Dawkins overseeing the running backs and serving as the recruiting coordinator.

Rowan makes its home debut on Saturday, September 14th when it hosts McDaniel at 1 p.m. at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium. The Profs open the conference slate on October 12th at home against TCNJ.