Duquesne football coach Jerry Schmitt named NEC Coach of the Year
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Duquesne football coach Jerry Schmitt has been named the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year.
This is Schmitt's second time to be named NEC Coach of the Year, also receiving the distinction in 2018.
He has also been named a finalist for the 2023 Eddie Robinson Award, which is given to the national coach of the year in college football's FCS classification.
In Schmitt's 19 years at Duquesne, the Dukes have only posted a losing season four times.
Under Schmitt's leadership, the Dukes posted an impressive 6-1 conference record this season and an overall record of 7-4.
Duquesne defeated Merrrimac last week to win the 2023 NEC title outright and earn a trip to the FCS Playoffs for just the third time in program history.
The Dukes will now face Youngstown State in the first round of the playoffs in a game featuring plenty of local Western Pennsylvania talent on both rosters.
Duquesne's roster has a number of WPIAL and City League players including Antonio Epps (South Allegheny) who led the team in tackles on defense, Gianni Rizzo (Norwin) who was third in tackles, Noah Palmer (Thomas Jefferson) who earned all-conference honors, and others like Shane Stump (Thomas Jefferson), Colin Scharriter (McKeesport), and Ezekiel Daure (Keystone Oaks), all who contributed in various roles on defense.
Youngstown State has managed to recruit some WPIAL talent across the border with Marcus Hooker (New Castle), Anthony Johnson (Jeannette), Preston Zandier (Thomas Jefferson), and Deamontae Diggs (McKeesport) all contributing on the defensive side of the ball.
Kickoff on Saturday is set for 5 p.m. in Youngstown.
