Ryan McCarthy Officially Named Head Football Coach

McCarthy is the 14th head coach in program-history.

October 16, 2019

Central Connecticut State University Director of Athletics Brian Barrio has named Ryan McCarthy as the 14th head coach of the CCSU football program. McCarthy, who was named the interim head coach prior to the season, has guided the Blue Devils to a 5-1 record and a No. 25 ranking the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll to begin the 2019 season. As of Oct. 16, the interim tag has been removed.

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"It makes me very proud to announce Ryan McCarthy as the head coach of CCSU football," Barrio said. "Ryan is a respected coach and the team has flourished under his leadership this year. We look forward to the Blue Devils' continued success under his leadership."

McCarthy was named Interim Head Coach in the spring of 2019 after serving as offensive coordinator for the previous four seasons on the Blue Devils' staff. He has guided Central to a 5-1 start for the first time since 2009 and the program has earned a Top-25 ranking for the first time since 2006. McCarthy and the Blue Devils opened the season with three straight wins for just the second time since 1973, while boasting a defense that ranks second nationally in interceptions (11) and a team that is the Northeast Conference leader in both total offense and total defense.

"It is a great honor to be named the head coach at Central Connecticut State University," McCarthy said. "I want to thank President Toro and Brian Barrio for giving me the opportunity to lead our program. We have an outstanding group of student-athletes and coaches here and I look forward to leading this group as we compete for Northeast Conference championships and NCAA playoff berths. We have shown that we can be successful here and I look forward to helping CCSU football reach even greater heights."

Prior to being named head coach, McCarthy oversaw the Blue Devils' offense for four seasons and helped mold it into one of the top units in the Northeast Conference. Central won the league in 2017 for the first time since 2010 and earned a trip to the FCS Playoffs. In 2018, the Blue Devils led the league in scoring at 33.8 points per game and rolled up a league-high 432.3 yards per game. McCarthy mentored Central's all-time leading passer, Jacob Dolegala, and had a 1,000-yard rusher in Cam Nash in 2017. He helped Dolegala become an all-conference performer and sign with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the NFL Draft in 2019.

Before coming to CCSU, McCarthy spent 13 seasons on the staff of legendary coach Bob Ford at the University at Albany during which he spent time as offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator for the Great Danes. McCarthy helped the Danes earn six conference titles during his tenure, including 2012 when they had the top-scoring offense in the NEC (34.1 ppg). Among McCarthy's numerous accomplishments was helping quarterback Will Fiacchi become UAlbany's all-time leader in completions (592) and yards (7,150) while also putting together three seasons with 2,000 or more passing yards. He also helped wide receiver Ryan Kirchner finish as UAlbany's all-time leading receiver with 172 career catches, and tailback Drew Smith close his career as the program's all-time leading point scorer (270), touchdown scorer (45), and tie for most rushing touchdowns scored (40). Also during his time as offensive coordinator, McCarthy coached David McCarty, the program's all-time leading rusher (4,287 yards), who finished second in the nation in rushing among Division I FCS leaders with 1,852 yards in 2008.

Prior to his time at Albany, McCarthy was the quarterback coach at Siena College.

McCarthy, originally from Wilder, VT, earned a B.S. in physical education from SUNY-Cortland. He was an honorable mention All-New Jersey Athletic Conference quarterback and passed for 2,266 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior and established a school-record with 223 completions.

He received a master's from UAlbany in the spring of 2004. McCarthy and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Simsbury with their three sons.