All-America Performers Under Breiner (as Head Coach)

All-Patriot League Performers Under Breiner (as Head Coach)

All-America Performers Under Breiner (as Offensive Coordinator)

All-Patriot League Performers Under Breiner (as Offensive Coordinator)

When Fordham director of athletics Dave Roach had to search for his next head football coach he didn’t have to look far as Roach promoted Andrew Breiner, who served as the Fordham offensive coordinator/quarterback coach the previous four years, to head football coach for the Rams on December 17, 2015. Breiner replaced Joe Moorhead who resigned to take the position of offensive coordinator at Penn State.

In his first year, Breiner led the Rams to another winning season as Fordham compiled an 8-3 overall mark, 5-1 in the Patriot League, marking the first time the Rams have posted five consecutive winning campaigns since 1938-1942. The eight wins were the most for a first-year Fordham head football coach in modern times.

The 2016 Rams were led by a powerful offense commanded by consensus All-American running back Chase Edmonds, who finished fourth in voting for the 2016 Walter Payton Award, presented to the NCAA FCS offensive player of the year. Edmonds led the NCAA FCS in rushing yards per game (163.5) and was second in total rushing yards as well as ranking second in all-purpose yards per game (194.6) and third in rushing touchdowns. The 1,799 yards was just 39 yards shy of Edmonds’ school single season record set in 2014.

Edmonds was one of ten Rams to earn 2016 All-Patriot League honors, with four of those also being named to the ECAC All-Star Team.

As a unit, the Fordham offense led the Patriot League and ranked fourth in the NCAA FCS in total offense, averaging 498.2 yards/game, and led the league and ranked 12th in the NCAA FCS in rushing offense, averaging 229.7 yards/game. The Rams also led the Patriot League and were fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 40.1 points per game.

Prior to being named head coach, Breiner, a 2006 graduate of Lock Haven (Pa.) University, served as the offensive coordinator for four years at Fordham after serving as a graduate assistant the previous three years with Moorhead at the University of Connecticut.

Under his tutelage the Fordham offense ranked at the top of the NCAA FCS in each of his four years as offensive coordinator. In 2015, the Rams led the Patriot League and were ninth in the NCAA FCS in scoring, averaging 36.8 points per game, and led the league and were second in the NCAA FCS in passing efficiency (168.30). Fordham was also second in the league and 20th in the NCAA FCS in passing yards/game (272.3), 19th in the NCAA FCS in first downs and third in the conference and 42nd in the NCAA FCS in rushing yards/game (180.9).

Two members of the 2015 Fordham offense earned All-America honors, sophomore running back Chase Edmonds and senior lineman Garrick Mayweather, Jr., while two other members of the offense joined Edmonds and Mayweather in earning All-Patriot League accolades. Edmonds was also named the 2015 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year.

In 2014, the Fordham offense enjoyed another record-breaking season with seven offensive players earning All-America honors and ten receiving All-Patriot League accolades, including quarterback Mike Nebrich, who was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

The 2014 Fordham offense set school marks for rushing yards with 2,353, shattering the former mark of 2,162 set in 2013, and scoring with 569 points, surpassing the 2013 record of 526. Included in the scoring total was a school-record 31 rushing touchdowns. Freshman running back Chase Edmonds did most of the damage on the ground, gaining 1,838 yards with 23 touchdowns, both school records.

The Rams led the Patriot League in passing offense, total offense and scoring offense while on the national level the Rams ranked fourth in passing offense (326.1 yards/game) in the NCAA FCS and ranked among the top ten in scoring offense (40.6 points/game – fifth), team passing efficiency (156.23 – third), total offense (494.1 yards/game – seventh) and first downs (331 - ninth).

For the second straight year, Fordham had a 1,000 rusher (Edmonds) and three 1,000-yard receivers (Brian Wetzel, Tebucky Jones, Jr., and Sam Ajala).

In 2013, Breiner’s passing unit saw unparalleled success, leading the NCAA FCS in pass completion percentage (.706) with quarterback Mike Nebrich, the 2013 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, leading the way, ranking first in the nation in pass completion percentage (.735) and total offense (376.4 yards/game), second in passing efficiency (171.3) and third in passing yards/game (336.9), passing touchdowns (35) and completions per game (27.15). Nebrich set school single season records for completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns.

With the success of the passing game came recognition of the Fordham wide receivers as Sam Ajala was named All-America and First Team All-Patriot League as was tight end Dan Light, while Tebucky Jones, Jr., and Brian Wetzel were both named Second Team All-Patriot League. Ajala set school records for most receiving yards in a season (1,646) and tied the record with 14 receiving touchdowns (as did Wetzel) while Light set the mark for most receptions in a season by a tight end (66).

In 2012, Breiner led a Fordham offense that ranked second in the Patriot League in scoring offense (31.2 ppg), passing offense (279.6 yards/game) and total offense (435.7 yards/game). Additionally, the Rams were ranked 18th in the NCAA FCS in passing offense as quarterback Ryan Higgins threw for 2,940 yards, the fourth-best single season for a Fordham quarterback in school history.

At UConn, Breiner worked with the offensive staff in all phases of research and development, coaching and game planning as well as working individually with the quarterbacks and wide receivers in 2009 and 2010 and the quarterbacks and running backs in 2011. He also had special teams responsibilities with the kickoff and kickoff return units.

While at Connecticut, Breiner was part of the staff that helped the Huskies to the 2010 BIG EAST championship and an appearance in the 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. In 2010, UConn appeared in the PapaJohns.com Bowl and received the Lambert Trophy, presented annually to the best team in the Northeast in Division I FBS college football.

Prior to his stay at UConn, Breiner was an assistant coach at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., for two seasons. He worked with the quarterbacks in 2008 and the wide receivers in 2007. He began his coaching career in 2006 at Lock Haven University, when he sustained a career-ending injury midway through his senior year and began working with the wide receivers.

A Dean’s List student, Breiner graduated in 2006 from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania with a degree in health and physical education. He was a four-year letter winner with the Bald Eagles as a wide receiver and also played special teams. Breiner won a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award from the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the NFF for his accomplishments athletically, academically and in the community.

Breiner and his wife, Kelly, are the parents of a three-year-old daughter, Abigail.