UAlbany Names Tom Perkovich Head Football Coach

ALBANY, N.Y. (Jan. 7, 2026) — The University at Albany and Director of Athletics Mark Benson announced the hiring of Tom Perkovich as the next head coach of the Great Danes’ football program. A veteran leader with over two decades of experience, Perkovich becomes the third full-time head coach in the program's history. Perkovich was introduced to the UAlbany community on Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tom, Brandi, Georgia, Trey and Reed Perkovich to the Great Dane family,” said Benson. “When we embarked on this search, we hoped to find someone who is a proven leader with sustained success. We found that in Coach Perk. He has a remarkable track record of building championship culture and developing student-athletes. A native New Yorker, he brings a strategic brilliance that aligns perfectly with our vision for the future of this program. We look forward to seeing him lead our young men and developing them into Great Leaders, Great Champions, Great Danes."

Perkovich joins the Great Danes after an extraordinary tenure at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, where he compiled an impressive 84-25 overall record over 10 seasons. Under “Coach Perk’s” leadership, Susquehanna became a fixture in the national postseason conversation, securing four consecutive conference championships and NCAA Division III Championship appearances from 2022 to 2025. Over that span, the River Hawks were invincible in league play, going a perfect 27-0.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Perkovich and his family to the University at Albany community,” said UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez. “His impressive track record of preparing his student athletes for success on and off the field will be a great fit at UAlbany. I am confident that his background and experience will resonate with our community.”

"It is a tremendous honor to be named the head football coach at the University at Albany," said Perkovich. "I want to sincerely thank President Rodríguez, Director of Athletics Benson, and Deputy AD Vic Cegles for their trust and for the opportunity to lead this historic program. I have long admired the tradition of excellence established by Coach Ford and Coach Gattuso, and I am eager to build upon that foundation. My wife, Brandi, and our children are so excited to join the Capital Region community and call Albany home. I cannot wait to get to work and begin this next chapter of Great Dane football."

Perkovich's leadership earned national prestige when he was named the 2023 Andy Talley Regional Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club. This award, presented to the top prep or college coach in the Northeast, followed a 2022 season where Perkovich guided the River Hawks to a 10-1 record, their first Centennial Conference title and an NCAA Championship appearance. He was recognized at the Maxwell Football Club's National Awards Gala alongside an elite group of honorees that included Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, Joe Klecko, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, among others.

His postseason record is defined by a consistent ability to win on the big stage, characterized by a steady ascent into the national spotlight. This success reached a pinnacle during a landmark 2024 campaign where the River Hawks captured their first NCAA Division III playoff victories in more than 30 years. After defeating Hobart College in the second round, the team secured a dramatic victory over No. 3 Saint John’s University on a game-winning field goal as time expired. A subsequent win over No. 21 Bethel University sent Perkovich and his squad to the NCAA Division III Semifinals, marking just the second time the program had reached that stage in school history.

In 2025, Coach Perkovich capped off his remarkable tenure at Susquehanna with another dominant season, leading the River Hawks to an 11-3 overall record. The 2025 campaign featured an explosive offense (39.93 PPG) and a suffocating defense (17.79 PPG) that outscored conference opponents by a staggering margin. Perkovich’s squad marched through the first three rounds of the NCAA Division III Championship with victories over Washington and Jefferson College, Christopher Newport University and Eastern University to reach the national quarterfinals. Under his guidance, the 2025 team swept the conference’s major individual awards and produced five Associated Press All-Americans.

Before his tenure at Susquehanna, Perkovich spent nearly a decade at Muhlenberg College in eastern Pennsylvania. He started as a strength and conditioning coordinator before climbing up the ranks to become the program’s offensive coordinator. While at Muhlenberg, Perkovich was a part of a staff that compiled an overall record of 39-11 (.780 winning percentage) with the offense breaking multiple school records under his control.

A Tonawanda, New York, native, Perkovich earned his degree from Canisius University in 2003. A standout dual-sport athlete, he was the first Golden Griffin since 1949 to letter in both football and basketball for all four years. On the gridiron, he was a three-year starter on the offensive line, a Team MVP, a First Team All-MAAC selection, and a Second Team All-American.

Perkovich and his wife, Brandi, have three children: Georgia, Trey and Reed.

Perkovich inherits a program defined by stability and a tradition of hard-nosed football. He follows in the footsteps of legendary coach Bob Ford, the "architect" of UAlbany football, who founded the program and spent 44 seasons building it from a club team into a Division I contender.

Perkovich also succeeds Greg Gattuso, who successfully led the Great Danes into the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) era, securing the program’s first-ever FCS playoff wins and a historic appearance in the 2023 National Semifinals. By stepping into this role, Perkovich joins an elite lineage of leadership, tasked with maintaining the "UAlbany Way" while pushing the program toward another CAA title and a return to the FCS Playoffs.