U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Men's Football

Jameson Croall is entering his 14th year at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 2025-26 and was named the head coach of the football team in August 2022, after he had assumed all duties for the program at the conclusion of the 2021 season. He succeeded Mike Toop ’77, USMMA’s all-time winningest coach (70 victories), who retired after leading the Mariners for the previous 17 seasons (2005-2021).   In his first two seasons at the helm, Croall has extended KP’s Academy-best streak of winning seasons to eight-straight years after the Mariners finished the 2022 campaign with a 6-3 record and the 2023 season 7-3, including an appearance in the ECAC James Lynah Bowl. USMMA has had a total of 14 players earn All-NEWMAC honors, including defensive lineman C.J. Mustain ’23, who was named the NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Year in 2022. Furthermore, seven Mariners went on to earn All-Region accolades, including Mustain being selected as the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year.   Off the field, Merchant Marine had 21 student-athletes represented on the NEWMAC All-Academic Team and 12 have landed on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.   During Croall’s first 10 years at Kings Point he served as the Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach, helping lead the Mariner offense to numerous top-25 national statistical rankings in recent years, including finishing the 2021 season ranked 16th or better among all Division III programs in seven key offensive categories – first in Rushing Offense, fourth in Third Down Offense, seventh in Scoring and Fourth Down Offense, eighth in Total Offense, 14th in First Down Offense and 16th in Red Zone Offense.   The Mariners ended the 2021 campaign with a 9-1 record, with the nine wins being the most in a single season in academy history. They also received 28 votes in the final National Top-25 Coaches Poll of the year.   Under Croall’s tutelage, quarterback Ian Blankenship ’21 was named a semifinalist for the 2021 Gagliardi Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III. Croall also produced an All-American in offensive lineman Randy Ruple ’24 (2021 D3football.com Fourth Team) and has had a total of nine offensive players selected to various All-Region Teams in nine full seasons, including two major award winners in 2021 – Blankenship, who was named the Region 1 Offensive Player of the Year for D3football.com and wide receiver Talsen Smith ’25, who was named the ECAC Offensive Rookie of the Year.   In terms of All-Conference accolades as offensive coordinator since 2012, Croall has manufactured three major award winners in fullback Wiley Martin ’19 (Liberty League Rookie of the Year in 2015), Smith (NEWMAC Rookie of the Year in 2021) and Blankenship (NEWMAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2021). There have been a total of 28 Mariners who earned All-Conference  recognition during Croall’s tenure as O.C. (13 First Team, 20 Second Team and five All-Liberty League Honorable Mentions).   In addition to his coaching duties, Croall contributes to the academy in multiple facets including weight room management, teaching courses in self-defense, chairing the curriculum committee and working event management. No stranger to the Mariners’ offensive scheme, the triple option, Croall both played in it and coached it at his alma mater Springfield College. He served as a graduate assistant coach at Springfield for two seasons (2010-11), where he coached an All-American at the quarterback position, competed in the postseason and had the opportunity to coach in the “DIII Senior Classic,” an All-Star Game in Salem, Va.   Prior to that, Croall spent a year working as the Offensive Line Coach at Maine Maritime Academy. While there, the Mariners had their best season in school history – leading the nation in rushing yards per game, winning the NEFC Conference Championship, receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and having three offensive lineman named to the All-Conference Team.   A 2009 graduate of Springfield, Croall played for four years as an offensive lineman for the Pride while earning his bachelor’s degree in physical education. He graduated with his master’s degree from Springfield in 2020. Croall is a native of East Longmeadow, Mass., Croall is responsible for recruiting from the Southeast United States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

James Kikel joined the USMMA football coaching staff ahead of the 2016 season and served as the program’s quarterbacks coach until he became the Mariners’ Offensive Coordinator starting with the 2022 season.   As the OC the past two seasons, he coached five All-Region honorees and saw a total of eight offensive players land on the All-NEWMAC Team.   Kikel’s recruiting areas for USMMA include California, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, Hawaii, Oregon, New Mexico, Montana, Alaska, Utah, Nebraska, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.   During his six seasons as the quarterbacks coach, Kikel mentored Brice Moore ‘18, Krystian Abbott ‘20 and Ian Blankenship ‘21 behind center. Moore was a First Team All-Liberty League (2016) and Second Team All-NEWMAC (2017) Athlete, while also being named a team captain and the Clayton Chapman ECAC Bowl Game MVP in 2017. Abbott was the 2018 New England Bowl Game MVP and earned Second Team All-ECAC and First Team All-NEWMAC selections in 2019. Blankenship was the 2021 NEWMAC Offensive Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year by D3Football.com for Region 1 as well as a Semi-Finalist for the Division III Heisman Award.   Kikel came to the Mariner coaching staff after a stint at nearby St. Francis Prep. High School in Queens, where he served the 2015 season as the defensive backs coach for the Terriers’ varsity football program. After the season concluded, he was promoted to defensive coordinator for the squad in December of 2015.   Prior to his role at St. Francis Prep., Kikel was on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Springfield College, for three seasons (2012-14) while earning his master’s degree from the institution. He was the Pride’s wide receivers’ coach for the 2012 season and then spent his final two seasons at Springfield as the Quarterbacks coach.   Kikel was a four-year member and two-year starter at free safety for the Pride from 2009-11 and served as a team captain during his senior season. He was selected to the All-Empire 8 Team during his final campaign after he led the conference in tackles. Kikel was named the team’s most valuable defensive player after the 2011 season.   A native of Glendale, Queens, Kikel graduated from both St. Francis Prep. and Springfield College. He earned a bachelor’s of science degree from Springfield in 2012 with a double major in mathematics and education with a concentration in secondary education. He went on to obtain a master’s of education in physical education with an athletic administration concentration from Springfield in 2014. He currently resides in Glendale, N.Y., with his wife Ally.

Harry Passante has served as the Defensive Coordinator and safeties coach for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy football team since the 2022 season after joining the program in June of 2021 as the defensive line coach and special teams assistant.   2024 will be Coach Passante’s third season as the Defensive Coordinator at USMMA. As the DC, Passante has coached five All-NEWMAC selections, including the NEWMAC and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year CJ Mustain ’23 in 2022. Mustain, Connor Caffrey ‘23 and Jack Temple ’25 also went on to earn All-Region honors.   In 2022 USMMA’s Defense saw marked improved in a number of statistical categories. They had the 20th ranked Rushing Defense in the country and also led the NEWMAC in Total Defense, Rushing Defense and Scoring Defense. USMMA’s Defense also improved nationally in 2022 in Passing Defense, 4th Down Defense and 1st down’s allowed.   Coach Passante’s primary recruiting areas for USMMA include Texas, New York, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Kansas and Missouri. This coming season the USMMA football will have 13 players from the State of Texas and seven players from the State of New York.   Passante comes to Kings Point from nearby New Hyde Park Memorial High School, where he coached the Gladiators’ defensive and offensive lines, while also serving as the Special Teams Coordinator and strength & conditioning coach during the 2020-21 season, which was played entirely in the spring.   Prior to NHPMHS, Passante gained experience in collegiate coaching at Division I (FCS) Stony Brook University as an assistant for the 2019 and 2020 season. He served as the Seawolves’ Video Coordinator and Defensive and Special Teams Assistant this past COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, and was a Special Teams and assistant defensive backs in 2019.   Passante began his coaching career at his alma mater St. Anthony’s High School the season after he graduated in 2012. He coached J.V. as the Defensive Coordinator for two years and Head Coach for one, before moving to Varsity for three years as a Linebackers Coach then Co-Defensive Coordinator.   Passante earned his bachelor’s degree in history (magna cum laude) from St. Joseph’s University (N.Y.) in 2020 and is a certified adolescent education teacher in New York State. He currently resides in Commack, N.Y., with his wife Jacqueline, two daughters, Hallie and Reece, and their dog Birdie.

The 2025 season will be Coach Scala’s fourth season coaching at USMMA. He serves as the Mariners’ Defensive Line Coach and Special Teams Coordinator.  Scala came to Kings Point after coaching the Defensive Line for nine seasons at C.W. Post, Long Island University and two seasons as Special Teams Coordinator. All under the leadership of legendary Head Coach Bryan Collins. Seven of those nine seasons LIU competed in multiple championships and NCAA playoffs at the Division II level. Coach Scala then gained Division I FCS coaching experience in the last two seasons at LIU while serving as the Defensive Line Coach and Special Teams Coordinator. While at LIU, Coach Scala was part of a program that won NE10 Championships in 2014, 2016 (Undefeated) and 2018 (Undefeated). The Pioneers reached the NCAA playoffs in each of those years. In 2014 and 2018 Scala coached the Defensive Lineman of the year in the NE10 conference. Scala earned his bachelor’s degree in Adolescent Biology Education from C.W. Post in 2012 and is a certified adolescent education teacher in New York State. He earned his master’s degree in Environmental Science in 2020.  He currently resides on Long Island with his wife Candace and their two sons, Lou Jr. and Mateo.

Ryan Bartel enters his third year on the USMMA Football coaching staff in 2025 as the Mariners’ offensive line coach.   Prior to Kings Point, Bartel spent the 2022 season at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. He was hired as the Greyhounds’ O-Line Coach, but took over as the offensive coordinator three weeks into the season. After the departure of Moravian’s head coach following the season, Bartel stepped in to assume all operational duties of the program for the remainder of the school year.   Bartel also spent three seasons as the tight ends and fullbacks coach at Division I FCS Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., from 2019 to 2021. He coached five First Team All-Patriot League players in his three seasons with the Leopards. Prior to Lafayette, Bartel spent one season at Princeton University where he was the offensive quality control and assistant offensive line coach. In that 2018 campaign, the Tigers claimed the Ivy League title with a 10-0 record, ranking first in the nation in scoring and third total offense.    Bartel spent the 2017 season as an offensive line coach at DIII Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. The River Hawks played their way to an 8-3 overall record and a Centennial-MAC Bowl title.   Bartel’s collegiate coaching career started at Fairleigh Dickinson during the 2015-16 seasons when he served as the running backs coach and worked with the fullbacks, tight ends and long snappers. Bartel also worked with the Trenton Freedom of the PIFL as the football operations manager in 2014-15.   A graduate of The College of New Jersey, Bartel played on the offense line and was the long snapper from 2011-14. He made 25 career starts at tackle while playing in 40 games. Bartel graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from TCNJ in 2015, later earning his master’s degree in Sports Administration from FDU in 2017.