Scott Van Zile enters his fourth season as an assistant coach at Towson University, working as the team's quarterbacks coach, passing game coordinator and recruiting coordinator.
2019 saw Van Zile coach Tom Flacco to land in the top-seven in Towson history in each passing touchdowns, passing yards and passing completions. Flacco finished 13th in FCS in the Walter Payton Award voting, also earning All-CAA Second Team at quarterback with 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions, throwing 60.4% for 2,831 yards. It is the first time since the 1993-94 seasons where Towson had a player with back-to-back years with at least 20 passing touchdowns.
In the 2018 season, Van Zile served as the running backs coach. His primary running back, Shane Simpson, was one of the top players in the country. Simpson earned All-America honors as an all-purpose player, ranking second in FCS in all-purpose yards, and All-CAA First Team as a running back. The running trio of Simpson, Kobe Young and Yeedee Thaenrat combined for 1,416 rushing yards, averaging 5.2 yards per rush, and 14 touchdowns.
A Towson alum, Van Zile joins the Tigers after spending the previous three seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Elon.
He joined the Phoenix coaching staff after spending the previous 14 seasons at Monmouth, the final six as offensive coordinator.
Van Zile spent his final six years at Monmouth as the offensive coordinator, helping mentor nine All-Northeast Conference players and a pair of Jerry Rice Award finalists over its final three seasons in the NEC.
In 2012, Monmouth’s offense led the league in passing and total offense, averaging over 400 yards per game while throwing for nearly 250 yards per outing. That year, quarterback Kyle Frazier concluded his career ranked in the top two in program history in completions, total offense, touchdowns and completion percentage.
In his time at Monmouth, Van Zile coached two-time All-American running back David Sinisi, who was named the 2008 NEC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as tight end John Nalbone who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.
Prior to becoming the offensive coordinator, Van Zile mentored the Hawks’ wide receivers for three seasons, coaching NFL receiver Miles Austin in his senior season. That year, Austin averaged 20.4 yards per catch and caught 11 touchdown passes while eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in receptions.
He also oversaw the development of the program’s single-season receptions leader in Adam San Miguel who was a two-time all-league pick.
A 1999 graduate of Towson University with a bachelor’s degree in sport management, Van Zile played on both sides of the ball in college. As a freshman and senior he was a wide receiver. During his sophomore and junior campaigns, Van Zile was a starter in the Tigers’ defensive secondary. Van Zile twice earned Patriot League Academic Honor Roll recognition.
Van Zile and his wife, Kelly, have two daughters – Payton and Reagan.
