SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Shippensburg University head football coach Drew Gallardy confirmed Thursday that assistant coach Brayden Long will serve as the team's offensive coordinator, effective immediately.
 
Long will maintain his role as the quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.
 
"Excited is an understatement," Long said. "Getting into the coaching profession and having something like this happen this soon is something that I don't take for granted. I'm just grateful for everyone involved here at Shippensburg University, it's such a great place.
 
"A special thanks to Coach Gallardy, for believing in me and trusting in me with this move. It's something I'm going to give my best to with each and every day that I have the opportunity to do so – to provide these student-athletes with the opportunities that football was able to provide me in my life. That's ultimately why I want to coach at the end of the day."
 
Long, 23, entered the coaching ranks immediately after his graduation from Slippery Rock in December 2024. After spending seven months (January - July 2025) as an offensive quality control coach and assistant quarterbacks coach at Towson, he joined the Raiders in his current full-time capacity.
 
"Coaching is something that I've always felt a calling to do," Long added. "I've always had a passion for sports, being a sports management major, and football specifically. So to have this happen, I want my genuine love for football to be displayed in how I coach. Having the opportunity to do so now as an offensive coordinator is a very special feeling that I am excited for and I'm just ready to get to work."
 
Gallardy, Shippensburg's offensive coordinator in 2025, was named the head coach of the Raiders on Dec. 23.
 
"You only get one chance at a first impression, and in Brayden's on-campus interview last summer you could quickly see how talented he is and how professional he is," Gallardy said. "I believe that him joining us, just a year ago, has already had immediate benefits to the program, to our athletic department, and to our campus community as a whole. Having the ability to invest further into Coach Long, trust him more, and give him more responsibility, just makes all the sense in the world."
 
In 2025, Long's first season on the staff, he mentored redshirt-sophomore quarterback Riley Gunnels, who started all 11 games and ranked third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in pass completions (214) and eighth in the PSAC in passing yards (1,952).
 
Earlier this month, Long was one of six recipients of the 2026 NCAA Impact Award for his legacy and leadership as a captain and quarterback at Slippery Rock. In his two years as a starter, Long led The Rock to a 24-4 overall record and was a Harlon Hill Trophy (Division II Player of the Year) finalist each season. He is SRU's all-time leader in career completions and completion percentage and is second in program history in career touchdown passes and passing yards.
 
In his senior season at The Rock, Long was the only Division II player named a finalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy – an award presented by the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame that is considered the "Academic Heisman." Long was also the 2024 Academic All-American ® of the Year for Division II Football.
 
"I am only as good as the players and the coaches around me, so when you find the right guys to invest in and count on, you do everything you can to maximize their skill set and keep them around and retain them," Gallardy said. "I'm excited about Coach Long being with us now and moving forward." 
 
Overall, Long was a two-time PSAC Pete Nevins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year who earned his degree in sport management with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
 
"I haven't even been here a full year yet, but I could just tell from my first week on the job that the people involved in this university are just very special people," Long said. "It's been an honor to be here. I'd like to thank President Patterson, Jeff and Carrie Michaels, Ashley Grimm and Tammy Swope and everyone involved in the athletic department here."

Spring ball officially begins in March. The first game of the 2026 regular season is Saturday, Aug. 29 at Lincoln (Pa.).