Robert Morris University Athletics

@CoachFarisonRMU

Robert Morris University head football coach John Banaszak announced the promotion of Scott Farison to assistant head coach in September 2014. Farison is entering his 16th season with RMU, and he is currently the longest-tenured active member of the staff.
 
Farison begins his 11th season as defensive coordinator in 2017. He also had spent 10 consecutive years as the recruiting coordinator before ceding that role to Andrew Richardson with his recent promotion.
 
The Colonials have consistently produced quality defenses under Farison’s watch. In Farison’s 13 seasons coaching the defensive side of the ball at RMU, the Colonials have finished among the top 25 nationally in total defense on seven occasions, including finishing among the top 11 on four of those occurrences.

The 2016 season marked another impressive one for the Colonials Farison-led defensive corps. A quartet of players landed on the All-NEC team led by first team selection defensive back Marcelis Branch who would go on to sign a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons. Defensive lineman Ryan Lewis earned a first team nod as well in his first season as a full time starter. Cornerback Ryan Richards Jr. was named to the league's second team while freshman linebacker Gee Stanley was named the NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Stanley led the team with 8.5 sacks (21st nationally), an RMU freshman record for QB takedowns.

The 2016 defense finished in the top-30 nationally in seven different categories – red zone defense (11th - .711), fumbles recovered (14th – 11), sacks (16th – 2.73), third down percentage (17th - .326), defensive touchdowns (27th – 3), rush defense (29th – 131.7) and first downs allowed (30th – 194).
 
Farison’s defense was the strength of the 2015 team as RMU ranked among the top 25 nationally in seven defensive categories, including total defense, and was among the top 15 in five statistical departments. He guided a quartet of Colonials to All-NEC honors on the defensive side of the ball and also saw his student-athletes claim four NEC Defensive Player of the Week accolades. Robert Morris tied the single-season program sack record (34) in 2015 and also allowed more than 330 total yards on only two occasions.
 
The Colonials ranked near the nation’s elite in a variety of defensive categories again in 2014. During that season, RMU ranked among the top 30 nationally in third down defense (.331), passing defense (189.2/game) and tackles for loss (7.1/game) while Farison guided two student-athletes to their second straight All-NEC accolades.
 
Robert Morris has led the Northeast Conference in total defense four times in the past 12 years with guidance from Farison.
 
In 2013, RMU ranked second in total defense within league play, finishing in the top two in that category for the third time in five years. Farison helped the RMU defense finish the regular season among the top 25 nationally in a number of defensive categories including third-down defense, first downs allowed, passing defense, red zone defense, passing efficiency defense, turnovers gained and total defense.
 
Farison helped four of his student-athletes claim All-NEC honors in 2013. He guided A.J. Holderman, a former fullback, to First Team honors on the defensive line and Mike Cook, who broke the single-season school record for tackles, to First Team accolades at linebacker.
 
Farison has been directly responsible for helping four different Colonials to NEC Defensive Player of the Year honors since 2004, including two within the past six years. He has also assisted two Colonials to NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in his time at RMU, including defensive back Marcelis Branch in 2012.
 
In Farison’s nine seasons as defensive coordinator, he has seen RMU claim 27 All-NEC awards on the defensive side of the ball.
 
While Farison’s student-athletes have excelled defensively, a number of them have also performed admirably in the classroom. He has helped his student-athletes earn five Academic All-America awards, five NEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors and 14 Academic All-District accolades while at RMU.
 
One of the most recent to be honored for his combined efforts was Nolan Nearhoof. Nearhoof was not only named an All-American defensive lineman by The Sports Network for his on-field efforts in 2012 but was also selected as a National Scholar-Athlete by the National Football Foundation, which earned him an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.
 
Farison’s defense was one of the leading forces that helped RMU to a championship run in 2010.
 
In 2010, the Colonials allowed an average of 312.6 yards per game to top the NEC in total defense en route to a share of the NEC regular-season championship and the league's inaugural bid to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. The Colonials also led the NEC in scoring defense (20.5 ppg) and rushing defense (113.8 ypg) while forcing 26 turnovers, tops in the conference.
 
Thanks to the top-ranked defense in the NEC in 2010, the Colonials placed five players from the unit on either the All-NEC First Team or All-NEC Second Team. Highlighting the group was linebacker Alex DiMichele, who was tabbed the 2010 NEC Defensive Player of the Year.
 
DiMichele was the third linebacker tutored by Farison to earn the top defensive honor in the NEC, joining former Colonials James Noel (2002-05) and Chad Wengert (2004-07). Noel was named the 2004 NEC Defensive Player of the Year, while Wengert garnered the honor in 2007.
 
RMU's performance in 2010 came on the heels of a 2009 campaign in which the Robert Morris defense that paced the NEC in total defense, allowing an average of just 276.3 yards per game.
 
In his 14 years with the Colonials, Farison has filled a variety of coaching roles.
 
From 2004 to 2006, Farison served as the linebackers coach as well as the assistant special teams coach to John Banaszak. During that time he either recruited or coached student-athletes that helped Robert Morris lead I-AA (now FCS) in total defense in 2006, allowing an average of just 228.36 yards per contest. During the same season, RMU also led the nation in pass defense (128.5 yards per game) and pass efficiency defense (88.70) while ranking sixth in rushing defense (99.8 ypg) and seventh in sacks (3.09 per game).
 
Farison's specialty during his tenure at Robert Morris has been coaching the linebackers. DiMichele concluded his career at Robert Morris with 330 stops, the second highest total in the RMU career record book. In 2008 under Farison's watch, DiMichele established a then single-season school record with 116 tackles en route to earning All-NEC Second Team honors (that effort was since topped by another of Farison’s linebackers, Mike Cook, in 2013).
 
Farison was also instrumental in the development of Noel, who is RMU's all-time leader in career tackles with 437 and is one of just three players in school history to earn All-NEC honors four times. Noel eclipsed the 100-tackle plateau each of his four seasons in an RMU uniform and in addition to being named the 2004 NEC Defensive Player of the Year was tabbed the 2002 NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
 
Also excelling under the tutelage of Farison was former linebacker Jeff Rommes (2003-06), who earned All-NEC accolades in 2006, and former linebacker Jonathan LeDonne (2001-04), who earned All-American honors from Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette.
 
During the 2002 and 2003 seasons, Farison served as a graduate assistant coach with the Colonials, where he was responsible for coaching the quarterbacks in 2003 and assisting the defense in 2002. While serving as a graduate assistant coach, Farison earned a Master of Science degree in sport management.
 
A 2001 graduate of Mercyhurst College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing, Farison played three years for the Lakers at quarterback after transferring from Arizona State University in 1998.
 
Entering the 2015 season, Farison still held the career record for total offense gained per play (6.17) at Mercyhurst.
 
A native of Marion, Ohio, Farison graduated from Pleasant High School in 1996, leading the football team to the Ohio State Championship as a senior, where he threw for 260 yards and a record four touchdowns in the championship game.
 
Farison and his wife, Celeste, reside in the Pittsburgh, Pa., community of Pleasant Hills with their sons, Nathan and Ben.