North, ISU alum Steve Englehart named FCS National Coach of Year

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Steve Englehart once quarterbacked the Terre Haute North Patriots and Indiana State Sycamores. He served as ISU's offensive coordinator, and later became the NCAA's youngest head coach at Rose-Hulman.

Now, the Terre Haute native is the American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year at the Football Championship Subdivision level.

Englehart earned the honor this week after coaching Prebyterian College to a 10-victory season in 2025. He's one of five coaches at different divisions to receive the National Coach of the Year honor this season, joining Indiana's Curt Cignetti at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, Kutztown's Jim Clements (Division II), North Central's Brad Spencer (Division III) and Benedictine's Joel Osborn (NAIA).

"This is a very special award to receive and I am honored to help bring recognition to our team and PC at large," Englehart said in a statement from the college. "This award is voted on by peers in the profession, so it's especially gratifying that our accomplishments were recognized on a national level."

Voted on by active members of the American Football Coaches Association, the AFCA National Coach of the Year is the oldest Coach of the Year award. It is the only such accolade determined exclusively by active coaches. The association began naming an annual National Coach of the Year in 1935.

Englehart is the architect of a rebuilt Blue Hose football program, lifting the team a 1-10 record in his first season (2022) to a 10-2 mark this fall at Presbyterian — a private, liberal arts school in Clinton, South Carolina. Englehart was also chosen as the Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year and was a top-10 finalist for the FCS Stats Perform Eddie Robinson Award (presented to the nation's top head coach).

Presbyterian achieved their third 10-win record in school history, last occurring in 2005. Starting the season at 7-0 and riding an 11-game winning streak, the Blue Hose reached as high as No. 16 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. It was the highest that any PFL institution had seen in 16 years, as PC was ranked in both the Coaches Poll and Stats Perform poll simultaneously for six consecutive weeks, according to Presbyterian sports information.

Englehart's team never lost at Bailey Memorial Stadium in six attempts this year, the first time that PC boasted a 6-0 home record since 1998. They averaged a sizzling 45 points per game when playing in Clinton.

Presbyterian's defense ranked sixth in FCS for fewest points allowed per game at 16. The Blue Hose held opponents to a 30-percent success rate on third-down snaps, the third-lowest number in America. Offensively, Presbyterian set a new Division I-era record with 2,124 total rushing yards, accounting for 56 total touchdowns and an overall scoring margin of plus-219.

His Blue Hose teams improved from 1-10 in 2022 to 4-7 in 2023 and 6-6 in 2024, before this season's run. – In all four seasons that Englehart has been in charge of the Blue Hose, he has coached a Freshman All-American. Punt returner Darriel Harper was the recipient this year, selected by FCS Football Central.

Englehart is the first coach in the history of the Pioneer Football League (1991 onward) to be named National FCS Coach of the Year by the AFCA.

Englehart spent 13 years as the head coach of Florida Tech and Rose-Hulman prior to accepting the job at PC, set for his 17th season as a collegiate head coach this fall. He directed two teams to the NCAA Division II Playoffs while at Florida Tech and was twice selected as the Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year.

In his prior head coaching position, Englehart helped launch the Florida Tech football program from 2011-20, compiling a 44-35 record. In 2014, in the Panthers' second season as a football program, he guided the team to a 6-5 record garnering Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year honors. In 2015, he guided the Panthers to a 7-4 record with wins over two teams ranked in the Top Five of the Division II national rankings. He was named Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

In 2016 and 2018, he led the Panthers to the NCAA Division II playoffs. Because of financial implications from the pandemic, Florida Tech disbanded its program in the spring of 2020.

Englehart served one season as offensive coordinator for his alma mater, Indiana State. In 2010, Englehart coached a Sycamores' offense that finished 14th in the nation in scoring after tallying a school-record 351 points.

In 2006, Englehart was hired by Rose-Hulman as the youngest head coach in the NCAA at the time. In his four seasons at Rose-Hulman, he led the program to four consecutive seasons with at least six wins. In 2007, he guided the Engineers to a 7-3 record, the program's best record since 1994. Prior to becoming head coach in 2006, he spent four seasons as Rose-Hulman's offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.

The Terre Haute native graduated from Indiana State with a degree in health education in 2000. During his playing career at Indiana State from 1996-99, Englehart played quarterback and was a three-time GTE Scholar-Athlete award winner and also was a two-time Academic All-Gateway Conference selection.

Englehart and his wife, Carrie, have three children: Ty, a senior quarterback on the Blue Hose football team, Caden and Lila.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos