Army West Point Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Defensive Line
Sean Cronin enters his third season coaching the defensive line for the Black Knights. Cronin came to West Point following two seasons (2020-21) at Colorado State.
In 2024, defensive lineman Kyle Lewis was named a team captain.
In 2023, Cronin’s group helped the Army defense rank 20th in the nation in red zone defense. The unit saw positive contributions from Kyle Lewis, who recorded 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack as well as sophomore Jack Latore, who emerged as a pass rusher recording 2.5 sacks, and 4.5 tackles for loss.
In 2022, Cronin oversaw a defensive front led by senior Kwabena Bonsu. Bonsu paced the defensive line group with 47 tackles (18 solo), 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Following the season, Bonsu was named to the College Football Network Second-Team All-Independent defensive team.
In his two seasons as Colorado State’s linebackers coach, Cronin's defensive front received a No. 7 ranking for fewest total yardage allowed and additionally ranked within the NCAA's top 30 for fewest total opponent points allowed. Colorado State also tied for 17th in the country for total sacks in 2021.
In 2021, Cronin coached Cam'Ron Carter to a 100-tackle season that featured six sacks, nine tackles for loss, and an interception on his way to Phil Steele All-Mountain West recognition. Dequan Jackson also posted 84 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss, with Jackson having earned second-team All-Mountain West honors the year prior under Cronin.
He also spent time at South Florida where he coached outside linebackers (2019) and defensive tackles (2017-18) for the Bulls. Cronin’s connection to former USF head coach Charlie Strong’s staff goes back to the 2006 and 2008 National Championship-winning years they spent together at Florida when Cronin was a graduate assistant.
Directing a young outside linebacker corps for the Bulls - all four members of the two deep at the strongside and weakside linebacker positions were sophomores or freshmen – Cronin molded Dwayne Boyles into the team’s leading tackler (75) and generator of tackles for loss (12.5). Greg Reaves, another Cronin pupil, finished as the team's No. 4 tackler and sack leader (4.0) and trailed only Boyles in tackles for loss with 10.0.
In his first season at USF, Cronin led a defensive tackles unit that helped USF rank fifth in the nation in tackles for loss (8.4) and 11th in sacks (3.00). The play of the defensive line helped USF’s defense finish in the top 25 of the national rankings in six categories and go from 120th in total defense (482.0) and 92nd in scoring (31.6) the prior year to 37th (359.8) and 41st (21.5), respectively, in 2017.
Defensive tackle Deadrin Senat posted a career-best year, logging 66 tackles, 6.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, while fellow defensive tackle Bruce Hector led the team with 7.0 sacks and was second with 13.0 tackles for loss. Senat earned first-team all-conference honors, 2017 Sports Illustrated All-Bowl Team honors and was invited to the East-West Shrine Game while Hector was a second-team all-conference selection and was invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Senat was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft while Hector was signed as a free agent.
From 2013 to 2016, Cronin was the defensive ends position coach at Marshall where he worked with CSU defensive coordinator Chuck Heater, helping the Herd to post 127 quarterback sacks in his four seasons on staff. Cronin helped Marshall post three seasons with 10 or more wins, three bowl victories, and an overall record of 36-17 during his four seasons.
In 2013, the Herd went 10-4 and downed Maryland in the Military Bowl. In 2014, Marshall went 13-1, won a league title, beat Northern Illinois in the Boca Raton Bowl, and finished ranked in the AP Top 25. In 2015, the Herd posted a 10-3 record and a St. Petersburg Bowl victory.
Cronin guided Gary Thompson to Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors in 2013. Thompson posted 19 sacks and 29 tackles for loss on his career, including nine sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hurries during the 2015 season. Cronin also guided Ryan Bee to a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2015 with 59 tackles, 8.5 TFL, and four sacks. Bee posted 8.5 sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss in his first two seasons under Cronin. Arnold Blackmon earned C-USA second-team honors at defensive end in 2014 for the Herd.
Cronin served three stints at Marshall, two on head coach Doc Holliday's staff. He previously worked as a defensive line coach in 2010 under Holliday and was a graduate assistant at Marshall in 2005.
In 2010, Cronin's direction of Vinny Curry - a future second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles and one of Marshall's most successful defensive players in program history - led to the then-junior's breakout season where he tallied a career-high 12 sacks on the season. Cronin also developed Alex Bazzie who progressed through an NFL and CFL career with the Colts, Panthers, Cardinals, and others.
From 2011-12, Cronin served as defensive line coach at Temple during Addazio’s two seasons, helping guide Morkeith Brown to third-team all-conference honors in 2011. The Owls defense dominated the league in 2011, leading in five categories while ranking No. 3 nationally in scoring defense.
Prior to his second stint at Marshall, Cronin spent the 2009 season as the defensive line coach at The Citadel and three years (2006-08) as a graduate assistant defensive coach at Florida, where he worked with eight NFL Draft picks.
Cronin began his collegiate playing career at the University of Cincinnati, where he was a defensive end before transferring to Georgetown College, where he played defensive end his first season and defensive tackle during his final two years. He helped Georgetown win two national titles (2000 and '01) and was an All-American and all-conference selection in 2002.
Cronin earned his bachelor's degree in history with a minor in coaching from Georgetown in 2002. After graduation, he spent the spring semester interning with the defensive line and in strength and conditioning efforts. He went on to work at Clarion University (Pa.), where he spent two seasons as linebackers coach for the NCAA Division II program and completed his master's degree in rehabilitative science in 2004.
Cronin is married to the former Emily Heater. The couple have three daughters, Grace, Caitlin and Mary, and a son, Joseph.
