ALFRED, NY – Alfred University Football Head Coach Bob Rankl has officially unveiled the newest additions and changes to the Saxon coaching staff prior to the beginning of official fall practices for the 2020-21 season.
 
Brady Bonacquisti '12, the assistant head coach, will now serve as the team's defensive coordinator while working with the linebacking crew. Holden Whitehead '16, the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach, will also lead the junior varsity squad as head coach.
 
Also joining the staff are graduate assistants Conner McCloud, Brennan Pelkey, Michael Murphy, and Sebastian Rivers. Offensively, McCloud will work with the wide receivers and Pelkey will work with the tight ends. On the defensive side of the ball, Rivers will work with the defensive line, while Murphy will work primarily with the cornerbacks while assisting Whitehead with the entire defensive back unit.


 
Bonacquisti has been a member of the Saxon coaching staff since 2013 and has served in a variety of roles. He was a graduate assistant from 2013-15 and has since been promoted to an assistant coach and eventually an assistant head coach position in 2019, coaching all-American talent such as two-time honoree A.J. Licata '18 and Nick Milgate '20. Over the past four seasons, a Saxon linebacker has led the Empire 8 in total tackles. Bonacquisti has also worked with the junior varsity as the head coach for the last few seasons.
 
Bonacquisti is a 2012 graduate of Alfred University, earning a bachelor's degree in biology. While at AU, he was a four-year member of the football team (2008-11), starting at inside linebacker his junior and senior seasons. He finished his career with 121 tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception.


 
Whitehead joined the Saxon coaching staff as a graduate assistant in the 2016 season, one in which the team won a school-record 12 games, making a foray into the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals. Since then, Whitehead has earned the title as Special Teams Coordinator in 2016 and will now run the junior varsity squad. His units have set program records; Trevor Monk '17 set the school record for points by a kicker (89) in 2016, while Kevin Bragaglia (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) set a pair of records in 2018, longest punt return (92 yards vs. Cortland) and punt return yards per attempt (19.3) in a season. A Saxon has been in the top-3 in either kick or punt return average and/or field goal makes per game in each of the seasons under Whitehead's leadership. Whitehead also guided the development of All-American safety Raeqwon Greer (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius).
 
While a student-athlete at AU, Whitehead played four seasons (2012-15) as linebacker, starting several games as a senior. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2016 and a master's degree in counseling this past May.


 
 McCloud joins the Saxon staff from Capital University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the football team, playing quarterback and wide receiver under head coach Chad Rogosheske. In his first-ever start under center for the Crusaders, McCloud threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Capital outlasted Baldwin Wallace in a thrilling 42-41 double overtime victory. McCloud totaled over 1,000 all-purpose yards in his collegiate career. McCloud, a Columbus, Ohio native, was a graduate of Reynoldsburg High School where he was a three-year letter winner in football, basketball, and baseball. He was invited to the Cap City All-Star game as a senior, starting as a quarterback and leading his team to victory.


 
Pelkey joins the Saxons from conference foe SUNY Morrisville, where he spent the last two seasons as the Defensive Line coach. The Mustangs went to back-to-back ECAC bowl games during his time on the staff, and he has also coached a pair of All-Empire 8 selections in Jermaine Rankine and Scott Irons. He also served as the offensive line coach for the junior varsity program. He's worked team and individual youth camps at Morrisville State, as well as in his hometown of Plattsburgh, N.Y.
 
On the field, the Morrisville State grad was a four-year letter winner for the Mustangs, spending three years on the defensive line, before moving to offensive line as a senior. He appeared in 16 games across his career with Morrisville State, collecting three total tackles, while serving a critical role on the team as part of the Leadership Council. His team won the NJAC and an ECAC North Bowl title in 2014. He graduated in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.


 
Murphy comes to AU from The College of the Holy Cross, where he was the Defensive Quality Control coach. While at Holy Cross, the Crusaders achieved a 7-6 record, leading the conference in numerous defensive categories, including Scoring Defense (15.2 ppg.), Rushing Defense (79.5 ypg.), and Interceptions (six). The Crusaders also won their first Patriot League Championship in 10 years, with a conference record of 5-1, earning them a trip to the FCS Playoffs.
 
While attending Nichols College, Murphy coached defensive backs at Shepherd Hill Regional High School, while also serving as the Head Freshman Football Coach. He also served as a manager for the Nichols football team in 2015. Murphy, a Massachusetts native, graduated in May of 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.


 
Rivers arrives to AU after spending the past season as an assistant football coach at Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Fla. while attending the University of Florida. He coached four all-state selections and his seniors on the offensive/defensive line have signed letters of intent to play at a number of prestigious Division I schools from across the NCAA, including Mercer, Marshall, and Florida. The Tampa native began his coaching career in the summer of 2018, when he acquired an internship to work with the Texas Southern football program. While at Texas Southern he assisted offensive coordinator Morris Watts, working with the Tiger quarterbacks.

Rivers earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Florida this past May.