By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
CRONIC’S CREDENTIALS
WEST GEORGIA
After earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from Georgia, he served as a graduate assistant coach in charge of receivers at West Georgia in 1998 and secured his master’s degree in educational leadership in 1999.
JAMES MADISON
Cronic joined the coaching staff at James Madison as receivers coach and assistant recruiting coordinator in 1999, where he worked for three seasons before heading to Furman in 2002.
In 1999, JMU won an Atlantic 10 Championship and earned an NCAA 1AA playoff bid.
REINHARDT (Ga.) UNIVERSITY
Prior to coaching at Furman, Cronic spent five years at Reinhardt (Ga.) University. He played a key role in starting the football program there in November of 2011.
He spent the first three years serving as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator and was named head coach after the 2014 season.
In his first season, Cronic directed the Eagles to a 9-2 record.
During the fall of 2016, he led the Eagles to a 13-1 record, a Mid-South Conference championship, and a semifinal finish in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) playoffs with a squad that averaged 51.1 points and 550.6 yards per game.
In addition to leading the NAIA in scoring and total offense, Reinhardt’s revved up offense topped the country in rushing offense (360 yards per game) and rushing touchdowns (71) while also boasting the nation’s second highest passing efficiency rating (178.0) and registering 25 TD passes.
The defense of that Reinhardt team finished second nationally in points allowed (13.8 points per game) and sacks (46), and fifth in total defense (283.5).
In two seasons as head coach at Reinhardt, Cronic was twice named Mid-South Conference West Division Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA Region I Coach of the Year.
In 2016, Reinhardt produced 14 all-conference selections and 24 academic all-conference honorees, both league highs.
Cronic’s teams also excelled in the classroom with a team 3.11 grade point average for the fall 2016 semester and a 3.04 the previous year.
FURMAN
Cronic’s move back to his native Georgia followed a nine-year tenure at Furman, where he worked under Coach Bobby Lamb (2002-10) and served in a number of key roles, including wide receivers, running backs and tight ends coach, as well as recruiting coordinator.
His first Furman tenure was highlighted by several outstanding seasons, including the 2004 Southern Conference Championship (10-3) and an 11-3 record in 2005 when the Paladins advanced to the NCAA FCS national semifinals. During that tenure, Furman made four trips to the FCS postseason.
HICKORY — Lenoir-Rhyne University on Thursday morning announced Drew Cronic — offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Furman University — will be its new head football coach.
Drew Cronic (center) is the new head football coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University./LRU ATHLETICS PHOTO
Cronic’s hiring was announced in a press conference on campus on Thursday morning. He replaces Mike Kellar, fired on Nov. 15 after two seasons guiding LRU.
A native of Sharpsburg, Ga., Cronic played quarterback for his father, Danny Cronic, at East Coweta (Ga.) High before playing wide receiver and on special teams at Georgia. He lettered twice at Georgia and played in the 1995 Peach Bowl and 1997 Outback Bowl.
“I am so excited to be the head football coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University,” Cronic said in a press release from LRU’s marketing and communication department. “I feel blessed to have this opportunity at such a tremendous academic institution with great football tradition.
“I have been so impressed with the people here, and am impressed by the vision Dr. Whitt and Kim Pate share for the Lenoir-Rhyne athletic programs.
“Starting today, we will put every ounce of our energy into rebuilding a culture of excellence, to achieving success in the classroom, in the weight room, on the field, in relationships and in life.
DREW CRONIC
“I can’t wait to get started.”
Cronic is the 22nd head football coach in LRU football history and takes over a program that has had back-to-back losing seasons.
The Bears went 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) last season, finishing seventh in an eight-team league. They were 6-15, 5-9 in Kellar’s two seasons.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Cronic to Lenoir-Rhyne,” LRU President Dr. Fred Whitt said in the press release. “Drew was our top choice among an impressive group of over 200 applicants and we could not be more pleased to have him as our head football coach.
“He is highly regarded and respected by his players and colleagues, and his recruiting success and network throughout the Southeast will help us become champions both on and off the field.”
Cronic arrives after a successful year at Furman. The No. 22-ranked Paladins went 8-5 overall record and 6-2 in the South Conference.
Furman finished second place in the Southern Conference and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs, reaching the second round. The Paladins’ offense led the Southern Conference in scoring (34 points per game) and while quarterback P.J. Blazeowski was a second-team All-So Con selection.
“I am pleased to welcome Drew Cronic along with his wife Amelia and their three boys Noah, Elijah, and Isaiah to the Bear Family,” LRU Director of Athletics Kim Pate said in the press release. “He brings tremendous experience and a true passion for developing young men and preparing them for success in life. He understands how to build a culture of excellence and truly values the student-athlete experience.
“I feel confident he will build a championship caliber program that will make our campus, community, and alumni very proud.”
LRU’s press release did not address if the school and Cronic have entered into a coaching contract of a specific length, his salary or any other employment details. It also did not address anything related to the football coaching staff.
David Cone was named interim head coach in mid-November when Kellar was fired, and the school athletic website listed six additional coaches — some of them graduate assistants — as the football staff through Wednesday of this week.
This story will be updated if additional information is released by the university.