The University of Maine filled the first opening on its football staff Friday when Nick Charlton, the new head coach, named Andrew Dresner as the offensive coordinator.
Dresner, 30, coached the wide receivers last fall for the Black Bears, who advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals and finished 10-4.
Dresner came to the Black Bears’ staff last March after a year as offensive coordinator at Pace University, an NCAA Division II program that improved its statistics in over 10 offensive categories under Dresner.
“This is something I feel really good about,” said Charlton, who was named Maine’s head coach on Dec. 21 after serving as offensive coordinator for a year. “He’s a great coach, a huge asset for the program. I think he’s the best guy for the job.
“He’s a creative thinker. He brought a lot to our offense, especially in the passing game. He has a great relationship with our players. Knowing how talented our receivers are, we also have some vibrant personalities. He did a great job with them and was a mentor for them.”
The Black Bears averaged 26.5 points – their most since 2013 – and a lot had to do with the passing game. Three receivers had over 500 receiving yards, led by junior Earnest Edwards with 839. They also combined for 21 touchdowns. Edwards was a second-team all-Colonial Athletic Association selection and senior Micah Wright was a third-team choice.
Edwards, Jaquan Blair, Devin Young and Andre Miller of Old Town return at the receiver position. Quarterback Chris Ferguson will be back for his third year and running back Ramon Jefferson returns after gaining 1,037 yards as a redshirt freshman. “We have production at almost every position coming back,” said Dresner.
He said the biggest priority this offseason is to make sure the offense continues to improve, especially on third-down conversions and red-zone opportunities. “You look at those factors and know there are areas to improve on and put points on the board or be on the field longer,” he said.
Dresner was born in Long Beach, California, but raised on the East Coast, living in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He graduated from Union College in 2010. He previously coached at Union, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Merrimack College.
Dresner said he and Charlton worked well together last year. “We have very similar ideas of what we want plays to look like and game plans to look like,” he said. “When I was on the field last year and he was asking opinions, we were coming up with the same things and making sure the right guys were on the field. It was pretty seamless.”
Charlton, who replaced Joe Harasymiak after he left Maine to become an assistant coach at Minnesota, said he expected to fill other openings on the staff – including his defensive coordinator – soon.
Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or:
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