By: John Syms, Part Time Staff Writer
Originally Published January 30, 2024
Big changes are arriving for Bearcat football in 2024. Sam London and Chris Corrado will be joining the Saint Vincent College (SVC) football coaching staff at the start of the 2024 season. London will be named the brand-new offensive coordinator, while Chris Corrado will be labeled as the new offensive line coach.
London previously coached the Waynesburg University football team for three seasons. He was assistant head coach, running back and tight end coach, and special teams coordinator for the Yellowjackets. He additionally helped the Waynesburg offense to be ranked fourth in the Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC) during the 2023 season, despite the team winning only two games. One of those victories was against SVC, where the Yellowjackets defeated the Bearcats 24-0 at the John F. Wiley Stadium.
Corrado spent six seasons as the offensive line coach at Geneva College, and in his last three seasons at Geneva, he was hired as the offensive coordinator. The Tornadoes had 18 victories and 37 losses in the last six years that Corrado coached. In the 2023 season, Geneva finished the year with a record of 4-6, with their largest victory being against the Bethany Bison with a score of 45-20.
Corrado believes that the SVC football team has a bright future with an upcoming recruiting class, and he is excited to join the coaching staff.
“This is a program that is up and coming and has a great leader of men at the helm in Coach [Aaron Smetanka], and I am ecstatic to be at a place where I am aligned with the coach and his vision,” Corrado said.
Despite the Bearcats losing seventeen seniors, Corrado believes that SVC could have a great group of guys playing for the offensive line next season.
“I cannot wait to see what this upcoming year holds, and I look forward to building a great position group of young men,” Corrado said. “We have so many young returning pieces who got to cut their teeth a bit last year, as well as a promising group of incoming freshman and transfers.”
Aaron Smetanka will be entering his sixth year as the coach for the Bearcats at the start of the 2024 season. In 2023, SVC ended their year with three wins and seven losses, finishing ninth in the conference. Smetanka’s overall team record is 18-27, and 17 of those victories were from conference games.
Despite having one of the worst seasons in his five-year coaching career, Smetanka likes to take the positives away from the 2023 season.
“We had some good positive things on the defensive side of the ball,” Smetanka said. “I think we truly could have had six wins based on our end last year.”
The Bearcats lost two games last year by two to three points. The head coach also noted that some injuries hurt the team's chances of winning more games last season. However, Smetanka still praised the team’s performance.
“We have a talented team, and I felt our guys giving them opportunities to step up could give those players a lot of experience.”
Despite only having three victories in 2023, SVC managed to have six players earn All-PAC honors, and Coach Smetanka is excited to see how next year plays out.
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