Long Island University Men's Football

In 2026, Ron Cooper enters his fifth season leading the Sharks, on the heels of LIU's best season in its Division I tenure. In 2025 the Sharks finished 6-6 overall, compiling the most overall wins in a single season during the program's DI tenure, after winning five of their final six games. The season was highlighted by a 28-23 win at Eastern Michigan University on Sept. 6, the program's first-ever win over a Football Bowl Subdivision team. Cooper's 2025 team featured seven all-NEC players, an honorable mention All-American (Jalen Bell, So., DB), and boasted the conference's No. 1 defense, allowing a league-best 18.8 points per game and a league-best 295.2 total yards per game. A successful and seasoned coach with experience at top-ranked universities, Cooper was selected to lead LIU’s  football team in January 2022. He joined Shark Nation directly from perennial FBS national championship contender Alabama. In his first season at the helm with the Sharks, he led the team to four consecutive victories to close the season. His staff developed student-athletes who earned 10 All-NEC postseason honors and seven academic all-district awards.   Cooper arrived at LIU with 10 years of experience as a head coach in Division I football, and with decades of work as a defensive coordinator and assistant coach at both the NCAA Division I level and in the NFL.   In addition to working alongside Nick Saban as an analyst at Alabama during the 2021 season, Cooper has served as head football coach at Eastern Michigan, Louisville, Alabama A&M and Florida International. Other notable experience includes coaching at Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Mississippi State and South Florida. Cooper also served as the defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for one season.   At Texas A&M, Cooper developed an inexperienced secondary. One of the leaders in the lineup was Armani Watts, who finished the season with 87 tackles, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one touchdown, en route to being named to the Associated Press All-America third team and the All-SEC first team (Coaches and AP).   Cooper served as the LSU secondary coach from 2009 through '11. He mentored one of the top secondaries in the country, highlighted by national award winners Morris Claiborne, Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. In both 2010 and 2011, Cooper and the Tigers defense featured the Thorpe Award winner as the nation's top defensive back, with Peterson and Claiborne, respectively, as well as the Bednarik Award winner as the nation's top defender in Peterson and Mathieu. LSU was also home to the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in Peterson (2010), Mathieu (2011 by AP) and Claiborne (2011 by Coaches).   Cooper coached at South Carolina, with a defense that ranked No. 1 in the SEC and No. 2 in the nation in pass defense, allowing only 160 yards per game. With the Gamecocks, Cooper helped lead the team to appearances in the 2005 Independence Bowl, 2006 Liberty Bowl and 2009 Outback Bowl.   At Alabama A&M, Cooper guided the Bulldogs to the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game. His squad led the nation in rushing defense and ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense. He discovered defensive end Robert Mathis and coached him in his first three collegiate seasons. Mathis went on to a 14-year NFL career with the Colts, making six Pro Bowls and earning AFC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2013.   Cooper’s 1995 Louisville team led the nation in takeaways and finished ninth nationally in scoring defense. The following season, the Cardinals finished fourth in total and rushing defense.     Cooper has coached alongside some of the most successful and highly regarded coaches in college football, including current and future hall of famers Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, Lou Holtz and Barry Alvarez. Cooper is married to wife Rhonda. They have seven children and six grandchildren.

In 2025, Pace enters his 17th season in coaching and first season at LIU, where he serves as the offensive line coach & run game coordinator. During his career Pace has produced seventeen all-conference selections, four All-Americans, and six NFL players. Pace has coached in the Humanitarian, Military, and Music City bowl games while also appearing in the FCS playoffs on three separate occasions.  Pace most recently served Colgate University where he mentored the tight ends and wide receivers while coordinating the program’s recruiting efforts. Colgate wide receiver Treyvhon Saunders received All-American & First-Team All-Patriot League honors under Pace’s leadership in 2023 and 2024, also earning First-Team All-ECAC honors in 2024. Saunders finished second in the nation with 88 receptions in 2024. Additionally, Pace coached current Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Max Hurleman to First-Team All-Patriot League honors. The 2025 Colgate Football Recruiting Class was 24/7.com's No. 1-ranked program in the Patriot League and Colgate’s highest-rated class ever. Prior to Colgate, Pace served as the head football coach for the 2022 season at Somerville High School, where he led the Pioneers to the New Jersey state playoffs.    Before Somerville, Pace spent the 2021-2022 season at St. John Fisher University as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator. Pace coached the offensive line, running backs, and quarterbacks for the Cardinals. The St. John Fisher offense ranked second in the Empire 8 in passing touchdowns and third in points per game. Pace spent the 2020-2021 season at Centre College as the run game coordinator and offensive line coach, and the 2019-2020 season as the quality control coordinator and tight ends coach at FBS powerhouse Mississippi State University where he coached former Indianapolis Colts tight end, Farrod Green. The Bulldogs earned an appearance in the 2019 Music City Bowl.    Pace spent seven seasons at Patriot League opponent Fordham University, starting as the director of football operations in 2013 before transitioning into a recruiting coordinator role and tight ends coach from 2013-19. During that time Pace coached seven consecutive All-Patriot League selections at tight end, producing three All-Americans and former NFL players Dan Light (Denver Broncos), Phazahn Odom (Pittsburgh Steelers), and Isaiah Searight (Tampa Bay Buccaneers & New York Giants). Pace was a member of the 2014 Patriot League Championship team and an NCAA playoff participant in 2013, 2014, and 2015.    Pace started his post-bachelor's career as an offensive graduate assistant at Bowling Green State University. During his time the Falcons appeared in the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl & 2012 Military Bowl. Additionally, Pace was honored as Footballscoop.com Graduate Assistant of the Day on May 17th, 2012.    A four-year member & three-year starter on the offensive line, Pace started on the 2007 Patriot League championship team. Pace received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from Fordham & his Master of Education from Bowling Green in 2012. Pace’s brother Christian is the offensive line coach at UConn. Pace is married to wife Sam. 

Ryan Jirgl is the Sharks' defensive backs coach. He is married to wife Ashley.

Kort Shankweiler enters his first season on staff at LIU. He will serve as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. Shankweiler previously coached at Lafayette College where he was the quarterbacks coach.  During his first season at Lafayette, Shankweiler was crucial to the development of Patriot League Rookie of the Year Keegan Shoemaker, who set a Lafayette single-season record for passing yards (2,540) after starting 11 of 12 games. The freshman led the Patriot League in total offense (241.1 ypg) and finished second in passing yards (212.1 ypg) and touchdown passes (14) while also managing to finish second on the team in rushing with 141 carries for 347 yards and three scores. Prior to Lafayette, Shankweiler was as the offensive quality control and assistant quarterbacks coach at Tennessee under Butch Jones in 2017.   That followed a four-year stint at Florida International in Miami. Shankweiler worked as the Panthers quarterbacks and wide receivers coach from 2015-16 and was the tight ends mentor from 2013-14.   As the QB coach, Shankweiler oversaw the development of Alex McGough who set FIU career records for touchdown passes (48) and single-season records for attempts (420), completions (269), yardage (2,722) and touchdowns (21) in 2015. With the tight ends, Jonnu Smith led the Panthers in receiving yardage and receptions for two seasons and established single-game and single-season touchdown reception records. Smith was a John Mackey Award Watch List selection and All-C-USA honoree who managed 61 catches for 710 yards and eight touchdowns to lead all tight ends nationally.   Prior to FIU, Shankweiler spent three seasons as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Central Michigan, helping guide the Chippewas to a Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl title in 2012.   Shankweiler arrived at Central Michigan after two seasons as a graduate assistant at Michigan State (2008-09). He worked with the offensive line under head coach Mark Dantonio, earning the Spartans trips to the Capital One Bowl (2009) and Alamo Bowl (2010). In 2009, Michigan State finished first in the Big Ten in fewest sacks allowed and passing efficiency.   His coaching career started at the Coast Guard Academy in 2007, a year after he graduated from East Carolina with bachelor of arts degrees in History and Multidisciplinary Studies: The Classics. A versatile player, Shankweiler was a four-year letterwinner at ECU under Skip Holtz, playing quarterback, fullback and tight end while helping lead East Carolina to the 2006 PapaJohns.com Bowl. Shankweiler is married to wife Aubrey.

John Roberts was hired in January 2022 as the LIU football co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Roberts spent 2020-21 as a senior defensive analyst at Penn State. Roberts previously spent 2015 through '19 at Arkansas, initially as a offensive quality control coach and later as senior defensive analyst. Roberts helped coach a wide receiver group that totaled more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdown receptions over the 2015 and 2016 seasons. That group included Drew Morgan, who produced the third- and fourth-best receiving seasons in school history, in 2015 and 2016. Morgan also led the SEC with 10 touchdown catches during the 2015 regular season. Prior to Arkansas, Roberts served as a quality control coach and graduate assistant at Central Michigan from 2010 through '14. In 2014, Roberts assisted a Central Michigan offense that ranked third in the MAC and 18th nationally in pass efficiency (149.55) and led the MAC in time of possession (33:24). Central Michigan won seven games and advanced to its second bowl game in three years — the 2014 Bahamas Bowl. Roberts served as an offensive graduate assistant for Central Michigan during the 2012 season. Wide receiver Cody Wilson finished his career with 42 consecutive games with a reception and running back Zurlon Tipton rushed for 1,492 yards, ranking him fourth in the school’s record book. The Chippewas won the Little Caesars Bowl, the third bowl victory in program history. Roberts was a four-year letterwinner at wide receiver at Alma College, where he never had a losing season during his career. The Mt. Pleasant, Mich., native graduated from Alma College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2010. He earned his master’s degree in sport administration from Central Michigan in 2013. Roberts is married to wife Amber. They have one son, Jaxson.