Nick Marcella joined the Engineers staff in the summer of 2015 as the wide receivers coach and has since been elevated to offensive coordinator while continuing to mentor the receiving corps. He has also coached the running backs.
In his five seasons, Rensselaer has enjoyed tremendous success on offense and as a team. It has averaged nearly eight wins a year (39-17) has registered at least 30 points in 23 different games, including point totals of 52, 35, 38,
38, 38 and 38 in 2019 alone. The Engineers have won three league titles, played in the post-season each season, including two NCAA Tournament bids, and have won the Dutchman Shoes Trophy three times and the Transit Trophy three times.Â
A victory in the Asa Bushnell Bowl capped a 9-2 season in his first year when the team won its final five games and finished with the second most wins in school history at the time. A 6-1 Liberty League mark made them co-conference champions. Fourteen wins, another ECAC Bowl win, another league title and an NCAA Tournament appearance followed over the next two years.
The 2018 campaign was historic as RPI averaged over 27 points and 358 yards per game in registering the second most in a single season (10-2); another Liberty League title and qualification into the NCAA Playoffs for the second consecutive year - for the first time in school history. Rensselaer advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for just the second time ever and was nationally-ranked in both polls while also being selected as the ECAC Division III Team of the Year.
In the Fall of 2017, Marcella was selected to participate in the American Football Coaches Association 30 Under 30 Coaches' Leadership Institute as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the nation under the age of 30. He was one of seven from Division III to be chosen.
Marcella came to Troy with experience coaching wide receivers at various camps and clinics, including the Paul Pasqualoni Football Camp at the University of Connecticut and the Elite New England Football Camp in Massachusetts. He also participated in the NCAA's Career in Sports Forum, a four-day conference focused on cultivating careers in intercollegiate athletics, in June 2015.
A native of North Bridgton, Maine, he was a four-year wide receiver at Saint Anselm, playing 33 games for the Division II Hawks. He caught 69 passes for 624 yards and a touchdown from 2011-14 with his best statistical season coming as a senior when he had 42 receptions for 405 yards and a score. He received the "Hawk Award" - the team's highest honor.
A 2015 graduate of Saint Anselm, Marcella earned his degree in Communications. He is currently working on a Master's in Sports Administration.
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Updated December 2020
