SUNY Brockport Athletics

Steve Potter was hired as the offensive line coach, run game coordinator, and recruiting coordinator in the spring of 2013, and after one season, was promoted to offensive coordinator and will continue to coordinate recruiting. Potter came to Brockport after three seasons as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Cortland. Prior to Cortland, he was an assistant coach with Bethany College in West Virginia.

A Track Record of Success
Since his arrival on campus in 2013, Potter and Head Coach Jason Mangone have helped pave the way for the most dynamic offense in the conference.  Potter has led over 20 offensive linemen to All-Conference selections in the green and gold, including a 2017 season where the entire Brockport starting offensive line was named All-Conference.  He has also helped produce six all-region selections on the offensive line in three years, three of whom went on to earn All-American status. In 2021, he added three more all-conference linemen to his track record, as the team finished 8-3 with a win in the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl Game. Most recently in 2023, Potter's offensive line group and rushing attack proved to be one of the best in the nation. Averaging 217.7 rushing yards per game during the regular season, Brockport had the 24th-best run game in the country. The 2023 offensive unit featured one All-Region selection, a pair of All-ECAC honorees, and four All-Conference players up front. The 2024 season would see Potter guide three offensive linemen to the Empire 8 All-Conference team, with OL Adam Montalvo earning All-Region and All-ECAC honors. Potter's potent offensive unit allowed Isaiah Simmons to dash for 1495 yards and 19 touchdowns, the most by a single rusher since the 2008 season.  

The Three-Peat
In 2019, Potter played a major role in helping the coaching staff earn its record third straight Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year honor, while guiding the top running game in the conference.  He has now won three straight Empire 8 Championships and made three straight appearances in the NCAA Division III Football Championship. This past season, the Golden Eagles rattled off eight straight victories, including rallying from a 23-0 first-half deficit to earn a thrilling 32-26 overtime victory over then-ranked No. 18 Cortland, to help seal the program’s third straight E8 title. The league title secured Brockport’s third straight NCAA Championship appearance, where the Golden Eagles went on the road to defeat Western New England in first-round action before falling in the Sweet 16 at eventual national semifinalist Muhlenberg. The Golden Eagles finished the year with the top rushing offense in the Empire 8 Conference. 

Undefeated Regular Season … Again
In 2018, Potter helped lead the Golden Eagles back to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season, after securing back-to-back Empire 8 Titles with a 10-0 undefeated regular season record. Brockport was selected as the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division III East Region and earned a national ranking as high as No. 3 (program record).

Potter’s offensive line led the league once again with an average of 227.8 rushing yards per game, and the offense posted 40+ points per contest.  Two of Brockport’s offensive linemen earned all-conference honors, including Caleb Ferdilus, who went on to earn all-region and all-American accolades as well.

Brockport Storms onto the National Scene
In 2017, Potter helped lead the Golden Eagles to their best season in program history, reaching the NCAA Final Four with a 13-1 record. The team won their first-ever Empire 8 title, and the coaching staff was recognized for their efforts, being named the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year. Potter’s offense broke several records, scoring a new program-high 518 points through the season on 69 touchdowns. The single-season passing, receiving yards, and reception records were all broken as well, which helped land four different players on All-American teams. Two of those All-Americans were offensive linemen (Adan Barrientos, Mark Sanchez), as the O-line was also named D3Football.com National Offensive Line of the Week during the season. The Golden Eagles also set an Empire 8 record, with all five starting linemen, First-Teamers Mark Sanchez, James Grennan, Caleb Ferdilus, Adan Barrientos and Justin Torres (second team) named to the All-Conference ranks.

Building the Foundation
Brockport averaged over 37 points-per-game in 2016 on 423 yards-per-game, with the workload being divided between the passing game (237 YPG), and running game (186 YPG). Six offensive players earned All-Conference selections, highlighted by Dan Andrews who once again received All-America honors, and Joe Germinerio who earned Rookie of the Year honors. The team finished with a 7-4 record and a spot in the Eastern College Athletic Conference President's Bowl.

In 2015, Potter's offensive unit combined to run and pass for 398 yards-per-game. The team led the Empire 8 Conference in scoring, averaging 33.6 points per game, which is their highest total since the 2009 season. The running game led the offensive charge, as junior Dan Andrews ran for 139 yards per game, leading the Empire 8 and ranking 14th in the nation. He also ranked first nationally in scoring, accounting for 15.6 points per game.  The Golden Eagles brought home four Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week awards under Potter, including four offense on the All-Empire 8 team.  Brockport also boasted the third best rushing offense, with an average of 181.1 yards per game. The Green and Gold also led the league in fewest sacks allowed with 14.

During the 2014 campaign, Potter helped lead the Golden Eagles to a five win season. Under his direction, Brockport was ranked 14th in the country in the sacks allowed category, only giving up eight over the course of ten games. In week two, the Golden Eagle offensive line was named as the D3football.com National Offensive Line of the Week, with 193 rushing yards, 485 total yards and zero sacks on 53 attempts.  Center Mark Sanchez was also named to the All-Empire 8 honorable mention list as a freshman.

Creating in a Winning Culture
In his first season at Brockport, Potter helped the Golden Eagles to an 8-3 overall record, the NJAC Championship and the ECAC Northwest Bowl Championship. The offense set the school record for rushing yards in a season with 2,354 as the Golden Eagles led the NJAC conference in total rushing yards. Brockport was also ranked 29th in the country for total offense and ninth in the nation and first in the NJAC in sacks allowed only surrendering seven in the 11-game season. Led by First-Team All-NJAC linemen Bruce Doyle, Ben Woolston and Sean O’Mara, the Golden Eagles earned the national D3Football.com Offensive Line of the Week twice.

Prior to Brockport
With Cortland, Potter helped the team to two NCAA Division III playoff appearances and an ECAC Southwest Bowl Championship in 2011. He also coached seven all conference players, and three All-Americans, including two-timer Billy Castro (2010, 2011), Mike Wutzer and Randy Bloom in 2012. In his three seasons as part of the offensive staff at Cortland, the Red Dragons were ranked either first or second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) in scoring offense.

At Bethany, Potter held the roles of running backs coach, defensive line coach and finished his tenure at Bethany as the team's offensive line coach and head coach of the junior varsity squad. He coached three Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) All-Conference selections on the offensive and defensive lines.

Prior to his collegiate experience, he was the assistant offensive and defensive line coach for George Washington High School in Charleston, WV. The Charleston, WV native played football for West Virginia Tech before finishing his college playing career at West Virginia State where he graduated with a degree in Political Science in 2007.