BETHANY, W.Va. - Bethany College President Dr. Jamie Caridi and Athletic Director Jen Windmiller, MBA '23, have announced that, after a national search, David Blake has been named the twelfth football coach in program history, effective immediately.
Blake takes over the Bison football program after Brandon Robinson stepped down as head coach following the 2025 season, completing a four-year tenure with the Green and White.
"As Bethany College continues its growth as an institution and enters a new era of its rich football history, it was crucial to find a dynamic leader to best lead the program into the future," said Caridi. "Coach Blake is committed to building winners both on and off the field and will bring experience, passion, and unparalleled commitment to Bethany football. His deep connection to our area gives him a unique passion for the Bethany program and this community. We welcome Coach Blake, his wife Ashley, and their daughter Scarlett to the Bethany family."
Blake brings an abundance of coaching experience at all levels to Bethany, where he will become the program's twelfth head coach in its 131-year history.
"Coach Blake is the right leader for this moment in our football program," said Windmiller. "He understands that lasting success is built through culture, accountability, and a genuine investment in student-athletes as people. His approach is rooted in consistency and building a strong foundation the right way. His energy, football knowledge, and commitment to development align perfectly with where we are headed as a department and as an institution."
Blake most recently served as a special teams analyst at Kent State University in 2025, working alongside Broyles Award nominee CJ Conrad and head coach Mark Carney. For the Golden Flashes, he helped take a program that was winless in 2024 to one of the biggest turnarounds in program history and coached the 2025 Mid-American Conference's Special Teams Player of the Year in Da'Realyst Clark. While at Kent State, Blake cultivated an in-state and national recruiting footprint, including an active social media following larger than West Virginia University Head Coach Rich Rodriguez and Marshall University Head Coach Tony Gibson combined. Partnered with a blue-chip coaching pedigree, Blake's arrival signals a high-energy, modern era for a Bethany program looking to redefine its identity in the PAC.
"Being selected for this position at Bethany College is an incredible honor," said Coach Blake. "The sacrifices my wife and daughter made to help me get to this point are truly humbling. While I grew up on a dairy farm in Western Pennsylvania, the Ohio Valley has always felt like home. My roots here run deep: my mother is a Wheeling Central graduate who grew up on Wheeling Island and is an alum of neighboring West Liberty University, and my father graduated from Union Local before serving in the United States Air Force and going to Vietnam. The combination of my father's grit and my mother's dedication to education shaped the person I am today. From childhood traditions like the Super 6 to summers on Wheeling Island and my family's farm in Belmont County, this region is in my blood."
The Stoneboro, Pennsylvania native began his coaching career at the Division I level at the University of Memphis from 2016-18, where he worked three years of defensive quality control for Mike Norvell, the current Head Coach at Florida State University. At Memphis, he was also a part of a coaching staff that included the University of Oregon's Dan Lanning, Arizona State University's Kenny Dillingham, the University of Arkansas's Ryan Silverfield, Tulane University's Will Hall, and the University of Buffalo's Pete Lembo as they took the Tigers to three-straight postseason appearances and reached a national Top-25 ranking in 2017. Blake also made a stop at Auburn University in 2020 as a defensive assistant for Gus Malzahn.
In 2024, Blake served as the defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Concord University and was named the Mountain Lions' interim head coach. He also makes his way back to the Presidents' Athletic Conference for the first time since 2022, where he spent the season at Westminster College as the program's associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator, and coached the 2022 PAC Player of the Year, Ryan Gomes.
Blake landed his first Division III coaching experience at Rhodes College in 2019 and then went on to help build the football program at Bluefield State University ahead of its inaugural season in 2021 as the team's associate head coach and defensive coordinator. While in Southern West Virginia, the Big Blue was ranked first nationally in First Down Defense, fourth nationally in Passing Efficiency Defense, and was ranked first in both Total Defense and Scoring Defense among NCAA Division II Independents under Blake's direction.
No stranger to the Ohio Valley, Blake is an alumnus of West Liberty University, where he met his wife, Ashley, and was a four-year defensive back for the Hilltoppers. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science in criminal justice in 2009 and received his Master of Science in sport commerce from Memphis, in addition to a nine-year career in the United States Navy.
"I am incredibly excited to join the Bethany family, a community steeped in history," commented Blake. "Upon walking into the recreation center, I was immediately struck by the resources and commitment Bethany alumni have poured into this program. Seeing the plaque honoring legendary coach Bob Goin and his team, beside it was a framed copy of his football conditioning program, that confirmed I was in the right place. It reminded me of my time in the United States Navy and the demanding, team-driven workouts I've used to build camaraderie and team bonding with defenses throughout my career. From my first conversations with Athletic Director Jen Windmiller and President Jamie Caridi, I have felt energized and inspired. My wife, daughter, and I are excited to call Bethany home, and I am deeply grateful and incredibly proud to lead the Bethany College Football Program."