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| TCNJ athletics photo |
With more than a decade of coaching experience, including the last seven years as a coordinator at a fellow New Jersey Athletic Conference institution, Edwyn Edwards has been tabbed to assume leadership of the William Paterson football program as its new head coach.
Most recently, Edwards served as the defensive coordinator at The College of New Jersey for seven years after stints at King's, Salve Regina, Anna Maria and Holy Cross.
He replaces Shaun Williams, who spent 17 years at William Paterson, including the past four as head coach. The Pioneers were 8-32 in those four seasons,
"I would like to thank President Helldobler, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Kristen Foley and the rest of the search committee for this great opportunity to be the next head football coach at William Paterson University," said Edwards. "I am beyond thankful to every student, coach, faculty and staff member I have met at each of the institutions I have been privileged to work at. I look forward to developing relationships with the student-athletes and staff at William Paterson University as we strive for success on and off the field."
While at TCNJ, Edwards helped lead the Lions to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2001-02, posting marks of 6-4 during the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. His 2025 charges led the league in scoring defense (19.7 points/game) and total defense (283.4 yards/game), and as part of the 2023 NJAC Co-Coaching Staff of the Year, he spearheaded a unit that finished first in sacks (34, seventh in Division III), red zone defense (21-30, .700) and fourth-down defense (11-28, .393), tied for first in interceptions (15), and second in scoring defense (22.5 points/game).
William Paterson's last winning season was in 1993, when the Pioneers went 8-4, making the 16-team playoff field.
The 2022 national leader in tackles for loss (9.2 per game), his Lion defense ranked eighth in Division III in sacks (3.56 per game). During six seasons at TCNJ (2019, 2021-25), Edwards coached 29 all-NJAC selections and four all-region honorees, and he worked directly with the defensive line (2025), defensive backs (2019-24) and linebackers (2021-24) position groups while also fulfilling the role of co-academic coordinator (2019-24).
"After a highly competitive national search, we are excited to welcome Edwyn Edwards as the next head coach of our William Paterson football program," Foley said. "Throughout the interview process, Coach Edwards proved to be the right leader for this moment. He is widely known as a strong recruiter, an innovative strategic coordinator, and a player's coach. He also possesses the ability to develop transformational relationships with his student-athletes, and he is committed to building winners on and off the field for the Orange and Black. We look forward to a new chapter of success under Coach Edwards's leadership."
Prior to TCNJ, Edwards was the recruiting coordinator and secondary coach at his alma mater, King's (2017-19), helping the Monarchs finish among the top three in the conference in pass defense (184.7 yards/game, 2018) and sacks (30, 2018). He was part of the 35th-ranked total offense as the running backs and tight ends coach at Salve Regina (2016-17), as the Seahawks rated eighth in Division III in rushing offense (274.3 yards/game) and 13th in scoring offense (41.2 points/game).
He served as defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Anna Maria (2012-16) after starting his career at Holy Cross as the cornerbacks coach during the 2014 off-season.
Edwards was a two-year starting safety and a team captain at King's, earned a spot on the Dean's List for eight consecutive semesters, and was inducted into the Aquinas Honor Society, Criminal Justice Honor Society and Sociology Honor Society. He served the campus community as a member of both the Student Government and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was a First-Year Experience co-teacher, and was active with campus ministry.
Edwards earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at King's in 2011, and a master's degree in pastoral ministry at Anna Maria in 2015.